Results 18,241-18,260 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like to emphasise at the outset that I have met with the Garda Commissioner and the Chairperson of the Policing Authority in the past days and have communicated my very serious concerns in relation to the significant road traffic enforcement errors that have come to light following the completion of extensive internal audits by An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: British-Irish Co-operation (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The British Government established the UK's Undercover Policing Inquiry in 2015 in order to investigate and to report on the undercover police operations conducted by English and Welsh police forces in England and Wales since 1968. It is chaired by Lord Justice Christopher Pitchford. As the Deputy will appreciate, the establishment of the Pitchford Inquiry and its terms of reference were...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Policing Authority (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The establishment of the new Policing Authority has been both a welcome and necessary addition to the policing landscape in the State. It has brought a dedicated layer of public accountability to the operation of policing services and it represents one of the most significant and progressive reforms to the justice sector over recent years. Indeed, the recent transfer of the appointment...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: British-Irish Co-operation (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charlie Flanagan, met recently with his counterpart the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, James Brokenshire MP, and as part of their wider discussions on issues of mutual interest he raised with him concerns that have been expressed previously in this House on matters relating to the UK's Undercover Policing Inquiry. The Secretary of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Garda Commissioner, who is responsible for the allocation of Garda resources, has indicated in her Policing Plan for 2017 a commitment to increase the number of personnel dedicated to traffic duties by 10% to reflect the increasing numbers of personnel across the entire organisation and which should also lead to better outcomes in relation to road traffic enforcement. An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Chief International Protection Officer (CIPO) who, under the International Protection Act, 2015, is independent in the performance of his functions, that the completion of the Application for Protection Questionnaire (IPO 2) is a matter for applicants who may consult a legal representative as appropriate. As the information sent to applicants for international...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Procedures (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like to emphasise at the outset that I have met with the Garda Commissioner and the Chairperson of the Policing Authority in the past days and have communicated my very serious concerns in relation to the significant road traffic enforcement errors that have come to light following the completion of extensive internal audits by An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Industrial Relations (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: This Working Group has been established to consider the technical legislative changes required to provide the Garda Associations with access to the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. This will involve consideration of a number of important and complex issues. The Group brings together officials from the Government Departments and bodies with the relevant expertise and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Station Closures (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to her, including in relation to Garda stations. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Síochána District and Station Rationalisation Programme gave rise to the closure in 2012 and 2013 of some 139 Garda stations following the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of Garda resources in the State and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. The Cavan/Monaghan Division forms part of the Northern Region and the Garda strength of the Division, on the 28 February 2017, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 321. There are also 13...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Policing Issues (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy is aware, the statutory basis for the Policing Authority is the Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015 which amended the Garda Síochána Act 2005. The Authority’s role is to oversee the performance of the Garda Síochána in relation to policing services, to promote public awareness of policing matters and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Property Registration Authority Administration (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised that the Property Registration Authority which manages the Land Registry and Registry of Deeds expects to complete some 200,000 Land Registry transactions in 2017. Applications submitted that are fully in order for registration and that do not result in the raising of queries are dealt with in a very timely and efficient manner. In 2017 to date, in excess of 70% of cases in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Reserve (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Good Friday Agreement (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) was established by the Irish and British Governments in 1999 as one among the actions to acknowledge and address the suffering of the victims of violence as a necessary element of reconciliation in the context of the Peace Process. The ICLVR's task is to facilitate the location of the remains of a number of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Policy (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am on record in the House many times previously, most recently on 16 February 2017, as saying that I have no plans to introduce a general regularisation scheme for those who are currently undocumented in the State. Any such proposal could give rise to very large, unpredictable and potentially very costly impacts across the full range of public and social services. Furthermore, there may...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Procedures (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would like to emphasise at the outset that I have met with the Garda Commissioner and the Chairperson of the Policing Authority in the past days and have communicated my very serious concerns in relation to the significant road traffic enforcement errors that have come to light following the completion of extensive internal audits by An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will be aware...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Station Closures (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to her, including in relation to Garda stations. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Síochána District and Station Rationalisation Programme gave rise to the closure in 2012 and 2013 of some 139 Garda stations, including Rush Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Station Closures (30 Mar 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to her, including in relation to Garda stations. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Síochána District and Station Rationalisation Programme gave rise to the closure in 2012 and 2013 of some 139 Garda stations following the...