Results 16,761-16,780 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: There will be no difficulty with Santa Claus's permit for travel this Christmas. No objections have been put in by anybody.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: That Bill is going to Cabinet on Tuesday and will be published shortly afterwards.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Bail Bill was published on 8 December. It is up to the Business Committee to decide when it can come through the House. I am sure it will be a priority.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: There is dedicated funding for the development of the maternity strategy in the HSE service plan which was announced yesterday. The original strategy, when it was announced, envisaged a programme of investment over a number of years.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: It will be the responsibility of the various local authorities to work for those people where accommodation becomes a problem and if it is a problem over the Christmas period. As the Deputy knows, every effort is made by local authorities to ensure housing, whether it is in hotels or elsewhere, is permanent. Where there is a change in that, every effort is made to work with a person to find...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Bill is expected early next year.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The legislation that is necessary, which is the disability and inequality legislation, was considered by the Committee on Justice and Equality this morning and it did its legislative scrutiny on it. We are very close to finalising the legislation. I hope to have it published before the end of the year.

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: We had a report on direct provision. What is really important for the families in direct provision is that the recommendations in that report are implemented, such as those on self-catering. Work is being done on that. More important, the big issue that was identified was the fact that families were spending long periods in direct provision. In the course of the past year, the cases of...

Questions on Proposed Legislation (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The report will be available early in the new year.

Anti-Evictions Bill 2016: First Stage (15 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: No.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Promotions (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: On 22 November, at the request of the Garda Commissioner, the Government made 11 appointments to the senior ranks of an Garda Síochána as follows: one to the rank of assistant commissioner, three to the rank of chief superintendent and seven to the rank of superintendent. These appointment were to fill vacancies we had been notified about in the senior ranks, mainly as a result of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Promotions (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to make two points clear. The first is that all vacancies under the employment control framework, which operates across all Departments and bodies, are filled at present. Of course, as the economy improves and the ECF is examined, clearly the question of what is the appropriate ongoing ECF will be raised, be it in the Department of Health, the Garda Síochána or in other...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Promotions (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Another relevant consideration will be the plan, which the Commissioner has in preparation in conjunction with the Policing Authority regarding the identification of administrative and technical posts occupied by sworn officers that could be filled by suitably qualified civilians. That plan is due to be submitted to my Department before the end of the year. The Deputy will recall that the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: UN Conventions Ratification (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I will take this question and I thank the Deputy for raising it. Obviously, we are totally committed to tackling domestic violence. I will be bringing legislation to the Cabinet this Tuesday in regard to the domestic violence Bill and to the full implementation of the Istanbul Convention. Many of the actions required by provisions in the Istanbul Convention are being implemented on a daily...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: UN Conventions Ratification (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: At going well at Cabinet next Tuesday, when I will bring these two items of legislation forward, and obviously this is up to the Business Committee of the House, I would hope that we could progress them in the first half of next year. If we can then deal with any other outstanding actions, including some of the ones I mentioned, we could bring forward the ratification. However, right now...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Paramilitary Groups (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Deputy for his question which arises in the context of a recent shooting in Cork city in which a man lost his life. I have no doubt that everybody in this House will join me in condemning such brutal and unjustified violence which can have no place in our society. I am aware there has been speculation that there may have been paramilitary involvement in the killing. The Deputy...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Paramilitary Groups (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I support what Deputy O'Callaghan has said on the importance of maintaining the peace, as well as the importance of the Good Friday Agreement and the Fresh Start agreement. I bring the House's attention to the report published recently by the joint agency task force established under the Fresh Start agreement on its North-South work. The report is available on the web. The PSNI and An...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Paramilitary Groups (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can only agree with the Deputy. Clearly, the intention of An Garda Síochána and the Government was shown in June when the House approved my proposal to review the provisions of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act. This is key legislation giving the Garda powers to deal with terrorism. I also have got approval from the Government for my proposal to update the law with...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Protected Disclosures (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I want to make it absolutely clear that no finding of wrongdoing of any kind has been made against the Garda Commissioner. In those circumstances, she is entitled to our full confidence and support. It is right to recognise that the Garda has done some excellent policing operations and continues to work keeping our communities safe. We have just talked about the threats from...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Protected Disclosures (16 Dec 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: It would be wrong for me, as Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, to step across the procedures put in place to deal with the range of issues he has raised. That is the reality. We have processes in place. People spent years in the House talking about having objective processes in place so that, for example, whistleblowing could be dealt with properly in various...