Results 17,761-17,780 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: The Deputy is addicted to conspiracy theories.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I am afraid that the Deputy and I will have to disagree.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I think Deputy Clare Daly is probably fond of asking someone when he stopped beating his wife. We are going around in ever decreasing circles. I cannot add further to what I have said or to what members of GSOC have said on these matters.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I think that is a reasonable question. I have been asked questions at this meeting and have honestly and truthfully done my best to respond to them. It is important, whether we are talking about GSOC, An Garda Síochána or any other body, that if there are issues of concern, they be dealt with and addressed. I have said these are all matters at which the High Court judge will...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: Since becoming Minister, I think the public has had a lot of confidence in An Garda Síochána. We know from the statistics published by the Central Statistics Office that the level of crime overall is down by about 7.5%, that the number of burglaries is down by in excess of 8%, that figures in 12 of the 14 categories of crime are down, that we see important arrests on a daily basis...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I deliberately made the comment that this was advice I had received. I have not searched the web for one and it may well be that the advice is incorrect. I was merely quoting that I had been told this was available and that it was available to individuals other than Government agencies. It may turn out that someone can only get it for €25,000. I do not know, as I personally do not...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I note that the Deputy had an alarming meeting with a journalist. Journalists can be very alarming on occasion for a whole range of reasons that I cannot always identify.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I can assure the Deputy that I have no knowledge of any journalist being put under surveillance and have ever arranged for any journalist to be put under surveillance.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: In the context of what the Deputy said about exoneration, that was an unusual comment by Mr. FitzGerald. Of course I am going to be accused now of criticising a member of GSOC but the Deputy has asked me the question. Kieran FitzGerald very clearly set out the conclusions of the commission on this matter on "Prime Time". It seemed to me that the statement referred to was at variance with...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I know, I have read it and I have saw it. Based on that kind of approach I would have huge concerns that there is a view the people are guilty until proven innocent. We actually have a system in this country whereby people are innocent until proven guilty. I found that particular response genuinely confusing. I specifically raised the issue in the correspondence that I had with GSOC after...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: Absolutely, and I think it helped to add to the narrative that has been continuous for the last week suggesting that the Garda was indeed engaged in some sort of surveillance even though the conclusion of GSOC - in its brief, its statement and press release - was that there was no evidence of Garda misconduct. It was an unfortunate manner of responding to the question asked.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I cannot say any more than that.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I cannot say any more than that. On the second question, we have already dealt with, Chairman, the decision made by Cabinet. That is the decision made by Cabinet. I know that, no matter what is done in regard to this issue, no matter what is concluded, there will always be people critical of decisions are made. One moment people are asking that a judge be appointed and a review or...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: There is something called Cabinet confidentiality. The Cabinet made a decision. The decision was the decision announced and I cannot take it any further.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I have no idea.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I do not know. We are getting into such a weird area at this stage. I cannot account for people's level of paranoia. I am not aware of any journalist being under surveillance. That is all I can tell the Senator. I am aware that we have a system in place where a High Court judge can exercise oversight in certain circumstances.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I cannot add any further, Chairman, to this. We have now gone way outside the issue that we are dealing with.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: We are now seemingly getting generally into the issue of surveillance. It is not normal or appropriate that the Minister for Justice and Equality, for a whole range of security reasons, enters into lengthy dialogue on surveillance issues. I gave the Senator that simple reply. No doubt we will have a headline tomorrow, "Minister for Justice refuses to deny that journalists under surveillance".
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: I am unaware of any journalist under surveillance-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions: Security and Surveillance Issues: Minister for Justice and Equality (19 Feb 2014)
Alan Shatter: -----of an authorised nature by the Garda Síochána or any other body in the State. Of course if a journalist was engaged in criminality of some kind that gave rise to some issue I could not guarantee-----