Results 19,021-19,040 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Public Inquiries (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Let us be clear. If we set up independent bodies, then let us allow them to do their work.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Prisoner Transfers (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will be aware that the current law on the transfer of prisoners is set out in the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Acts 1995 and 1997 and in the Transfer of Execution of Sentences Act 2005. These give effect to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons made in Strasbourg on 21 March 1983 and its additional protocol. Subsequent to these enactments an EU...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Prisoner Transfers (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I imagine the Deputy will be familiar with the O'Farrell, Rafferty and McDonald case. In July 2016, the Supreme Court made a determination in the case and dismissed the State's appeal. I will not go into the details because I do not have time. However, to answer Deputy Pringle's question, in September 2014, the High Court ordered the men to be released after finding that it could not...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Prisoner Transfers (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I take the point that Deputy Pringle has made. I will try to ensure we are able to move ahead this year in respect of the legislation. To give the Deputy some other information, in 2016 one prisoner transferred in and ten prisoners transferred out of the State. The most recent published figures on such transfers, which are up to the end of 2016, show that a total of 154 prisoners have...

Other Questions: Compensation Schemes (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Following inquiries in my Department and telephone contact with the group referred to in the details supplied, I wish to confirm that there are no outstanding claims for payments in my Department. The group received funding in each of the years 2014 to 2016, inclusive, from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the reconciliation fund administered by that Department. The...

Other Questions: Compensation Schemes (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The medical needs are being provided for. The Victims of Crime Office in my Department continues to provide the funding for certain ongoing medical needs. The Deputy said that. The particular group received total funding of more than €1.2 million through the remembrance commission which was financed by my Department. That operated a scheme of payments to groups offering support...

Other Questions: Compensation Schemes (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is clear that there has been substantial support for the victims in these particular circumstances. It was a huge part of the overall funding available to my office. If there are particular ongoing needs at this point, it may be possible to see if there is some appropriate funding mechanism. However, it was not possible for my Department to continue the funding beyond the point that I...

Other Questions: Drug and Alcohol Testing (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have requested the specific information from the Garda authorities. As soon as I have it, I will make it available to the Deputy. While An Garda Síochána has been testing Irish drivers for drugs with the assistance of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety since 1999, my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, commenced the drug driving...

Other Questions: Drug and Alcohol Testing (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I reassure the Deputy, following the meeting I attended on Monday with senior gardaí involved in traffic management and testing, that it is operational. That is the first point to make. The tests are being done and the specimens are going through, as Professor Cusack outlined at the meeting I attended. That is important. It is operational. I may need to correct the figure for new...

Other Questions: Drug and Alcohol Testing (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The point the Deputy raised about the temperature was discussed with Professor Cusack. I knew the issue had been raised. A number of issues were raised on social media in this regard and we do not want to create any anxiety. I am informed by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, which is the responsible authority for procurement, purchasing, approval and supply of the devices, that where the...

Other Questions: Domestic Violence (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Legal Aid Board provides civil legal aid and advice to people who cannot afford to pay for a solicitor from their own resources. Applicants are required to meet both the merits test and the financial eligibility criteria. The vast majority of applicants granted legal aid and advice are required to pay some contribution. The majority of applicants for legal aid in connection with...

Other Questions: Domestic Violence (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am very reluctant to discuss individual court details and evidence given by professionals in courts on the floor of the Dáil. I have not seen any collusion in the approach to domestic violence taken in this House. I recently launched the second strategy on domestic violence and considerable work is being done by all the stakeholders and front-line services involved in this area. The...

Other Questions: Domestic Violence (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Domestic violence is a very serious issue. I can only agree with the Deputy that the more people talk about it, the better. A large number of men are working very hard to change current attitudes which result in an extraordinary level of violence against women. I had thought and hoped domestic violence would decrease but unfortunately that is not the case. Domestic violence is often...

Other Questions: Crime Levels (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is a comprehensive question on which I will try to provide as much information as possible. I will also circulate figures in a table. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, as the national statistics agency, is responsible for the publication of the official recorded crime statistics. These figures are published quarterly and I have provided the Deputy with a summary table of the trends...

Other Questions: Crime Levels (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: We must also look at our own figures over the years and I have provided these in the table. The effective use of resources can be seen in Operation Thor, which has led to a steady decrease in the rate of burglary and related crime since it was established with Government support in November 2015. The full year crime figures for 2016 showed a 30% decrease compared with 2015. The basic...

Other Questions: Crime Levels (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: More than €34 million has been invested in Garda vehicles since 2012, with 720 new vehicles coming on stream since the start of 2015. The investment in a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet will continue under the capital plan, which provides for a further €46 million for new vehicles. To take up the Deputy's point, this includes high-powered vehicles, marked and...

Other Questions: Law Reform Commission Reports (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: This report was published on 18 January and is under examination by my senior officials. As the Deputy probably knows, it contains an extensive draft Bill and is a substantial piece of work at more than 460 pages. The law of evidence cuts right across the range of civil and criminal law and the stakes are high, not only in terms of ensuring that our evidence laws are effective, efficient...

Other Questions: Law Reform Commission Reports (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I agree that how evidence is handled, tested and reconciled goes to the heart of court proceedings and the rights of litigants and accused persons. It has implications in terms of costs, the length of time taken in cases and efficiency in civil and criminal cases that are before the courts. I am conscious of those implications. I sponsored what became the Legal Services Regulation Act...

Other Questions: Law Reform Commission Reports (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is an extensive report that contains many recommendations. If there are recommendations that can be taken forward speedily, they can be examined. When I get the first report on the matter, we will be in a position to decide. The work by Mr. Justice Peter Kelly's group is progressing and basic arrangements are being put in place. That will be useful and could be a place from which we...

Other Questions: Surveillance Operations (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The interception of telecommunications and the use of covert surveillance by the Garda and other law enforcement authorities are governed by the provisions of the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993 and the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009. The law provides a clear framework and sets out strict criteria for the use of interception and...