Results 18,761-18,780 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Insolvency Service of Ireland (17 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: During the course of the past year the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) has overseen the introduction of the new alternatives to bankruptcy introduced by the Personal Insolvency Act 2012 - the Debt Relief Notice (DRN), the Debt Settlement Arrangement (DSA) and the Personal Insolvency Arrangement (PIA), as well as a reformed bankruptcy regime. As a result, insolvent debtors now have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Practitioners (17 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: I can advise the Deputy that there are a total of 132 Personal Insolvency Practitioners (PIPs) currently authorised by the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI). Details are set out in the Table below. As I have previously indicated, the number of Practitioners authorised, along with a breakdown of the geographic location of each Practitioner is publically available on the Register of Personal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Arrangements (17 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The ISI is unable to provide the details requested by the Deputy as the information is beyond the scope of the Personal Insolvency Act 2012, as amended. Under the Personal Insolvency Act 2012, as amended, there is no obligation on Personal Insolvency Practitioners to inform the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) of the outcome of any vote taken at a creditors meeting, if rejected, as the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigrant Investor Programme Data (17 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The proposed extension to the Immigrant Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP), to which the Deputy refers, applies to Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS). The arrangements for inclusion of REITS, including minimum levels of investment, and the application of the rules and principles of the IIP to what is a publicly tradeable investment, are currently being finalised. Accordingly no...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (17 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The unsatisfactory age and fitness profile of the Permanent Defence Force was an issue of serious concern during the 1990s and was the subject of severe criticism by a series of external reports, mainly Price Waterhouse Consultants and the Efficiency Audit Group (EAG). One of the key areas identified for urgent action by the EAG was the development of a manpower policy with an emphasis on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Commissions of Investigation (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: On 18 February 2014, I gave the Cabinet my assessment of the seriousness for both the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and the Garda Síochána, and more widely for public confidence in the enforcement of law, of the ongoing controversy relating to reports of unlawful surveillance of GSOC. The Government subsequently appointed retired High Court judge, Mr. Justice John...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Commissions of Investigation (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The matter relating to Ms Cynthia Owen is not a matter that was referred to Mr. Guerin. I cannot and will not prejudge the outcome of the inquiry being conducted. The whole purpose was to refer the issues that were raised by Sergeant McCabe, about which the Deputy and his party leader made a variety of comment, for independent examination. Mr. Guerin will conduct that independent...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Official Engagements (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy may be aware, I was not in a position to attend the AGSI conference on the evening of Monday, 14 April for personal reasons. I was also scheduled to attend a meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday, 15 April regarding my duties as Minister for Defence. My difficulties were explained to the general secretary of the AGSI and, while he was understandably disappointed, I believe he...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Official Engagements (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: I think there is a need to de-politicise the debate on Garda matters. His concern is very touching, but it is also hypocritical as he spent most of the first four months of the year denigrating members of An Garda Síochána in this House.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Official Engagements (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: When interviewed yesterday on "Morning Ireland", I noted that a member of An Garda Síochána attending the GRA conference rightly criticised gardaí being used as political footballs by some Members of the House. He was clearly referencing Members opposite. I said and say again that I welcome constructive engagement with various Garda associations. Since becoming Minister, I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Official Engagements (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy's difficulty is he cannot make up his mind, depending on which day of the week it is, whether he should come to this House and excoriate members of the Garda force or make a pretence of being supportive of members of the Garda force. In the meantime, the Deputy stayed extraordinarily quiet when one of his colleagues, who sits behind him in this House, greeted some of those members...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Official Engagements (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: One of the great advantages of creating a police authority is that, in the atmosphere that has been created purely based on political opportunism by Opposition Members of this House, we take the Garda out of politics.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Official Engagements (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: That is the great benefit of us putting in place legislation for a police authority.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Operations (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will be aware that the legislative basis for the carrying out of covert surveillance in this State is the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009. From the outset I should clarify that as Minister for Justice and Equality, I have no role in authorising surveillance under the provisions of the 2009 Act. Under the Act, authorisations for surveillance are granted by a judge of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Operations (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy is wrong when he says there is no external monitoring. I have only referenced the role of the designated judge and the reports that are published and laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. He may also wish to note that in addition to independent judicial oversight by a designated judge of the High Court, a complaints mechanism is provided for in the legislation whereby any...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Operations (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy raised issues about the complaints referee. As I said to the Deputy, the Act provides for the appointment of the complaints referee to investigate applications from persons who believe they might be the subject of an authorisation under the legislation. The Act does not require a person to know if he or she was in fact the subject of an authorisation but only that he or she might...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Gangland Killings (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: I can assure the Deputy that violent and organised crime is being tackled aggressively by An Garda Síochána with all necessary resources deployed to the investigation and prosecution of those involved. While any shooting incident, or an incident such as that the Deputy illustrated, is a cause of great concern, to speak of a surge is misleading and alarmist in the context of falling...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Gangland Killings (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: The issues the Deputy raises are separate matters from the question he has tabled to me. The context of the question he has tabled to me deals with the issue of homicides. While even one homicide is one too many and consequently, none of us ever should be complacent in those areas, it is interesting to consider the background reality, that is, the context of the alarmist presentation the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Gangland Killings (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: It is unfair and unfairly alarming to the public to make the type of presentation the Deputy repetitively makes, which suggests that crime is on the increase and murders are rampant. The reality is there has been an enormous reduction in homicides between 2006 and 2013. Moreover, there has been a substantial reduction in every area of crime when it is examined in the context of the very...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Gangland Killings (30 Apr 2014)

Alan Shatter: In the two areas I have mentioned in which there has been an increase, it has been of an extremely small nature.