Results 19,061-19,080 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to confirm that following inquiries in my Department and enquires with an organisation supporting such victims, there are no outstanding claims for such payments in my Department. In addressing the legacy of the troubles for victims, the Government established the Remembrance Commission. Over the Commission's lifetime from 2003 to 2008, €3.87 million was made available to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Units and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. I am informed by the Commissioner that in regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Procedures (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I have indicated to the House previously, An Garda Síochána has confirmed that it has put solutions in place to deal with the procedural and practice issues that have been detected to ensure that the errors that have been identified in relation to breath tests/Mandatory Alcohol Testing do not recur. I am informed that An Garda Síochána initially put in place new...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (23 May 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 this 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 Síochána Ombudsman Commission Reports (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I have already explained to the Deputy, this tragic case was considered under the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM) and the recommendation was that I should take no further action. Counsel for the IRM pointed out that the appropriate forum for raising matters related to alleged Garda failings was the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) who were already investigating...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Inspectorate Reports (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, at the request of the Policing Authority, is carrying out a review of the dispersal and use of resources available to An Garda Síochána in the delivery of policing services to local communities. In this context, I understand that the Authority has informed the Inspectorate that the review should take account...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Resettlement Programme (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy may be aware, programme refugees who arrive in the State under the UNHCR-led Resettlement programme have already received a Refugee Status Determination (RSD) by way of the UNHCR assessment process and, as such, they have full refugee status on their arrival in Ireland. In contrast, persons who arrive at the frontiers of the State to make an application for international...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Reserve (23 May 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 this 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 (23 May 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. I am assured by the Commissioner that the allocation of Gardaí is continually monitored and reviewed taking into account all relevant factors including crime trends,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Investigations (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am aware of the incident referred to in the Deputy's question as well as the tragic events that followed and the concerns which have arisen. I want to extend my sympathies to the family of the person concerned. I understand that the matter has been referred to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) who are currently investigating the incident. The Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drug Treatment Court (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to inform the Deputy that my Department's attention has not been drawn to the juvenile drug treatment court guidelines issued to juvenile drug treatment courts in Australia. As the Deputy may be aware, juveniles are not accepted in the Drug Treatment Court in Dublin and such persons charged with drug related offences are dealt with through the Children Court. The Deputy may be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Protected Disclosures Data (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Members of An Garda Síochána may make protected disclosures to the Garda Commissioner, to GSOC or to me as Minister. I am informed that eight Protected Disclosures have been made to the Garda Commissioner, and that GSOC have received seven disclosures with another four active from the previous two years. There have been eight Protected Disclosures made to me as Minister for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Levels (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am aware of the recent report commissioned by the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) and the recent commentary in the media on foot of its publication. I note that the ICSA report is part one in a series of three reports into agricultural crime in Ireland and I look forward to considering the other reports when published. I also want to assure the Deputy that I am very much...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Commission on the Future of Policing (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The arrangements currently in place have served the State well since its foundation in countering threats to the security of the State, particularly from terrorism over the course of the troubles. Given the dynamic nature of the threats that may arise, those arrangements are kept constantly under review, including the decision-making arrangements across the common areas of the State's...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Constitutional Amendments (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government agreed in September 2014 to hold a referendum on removing the offence of blasphemy from the Constitution (Art 40.6.1(i)), in response to the 6th Report of the Convention on the Constitution. The Programme for a Partnership Government also proposes that a number of referenda be held, including a referendum on the question of removing the offence...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Support Services (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The commencement of the International Protection Act 2015 on 31 December 2016 represents a fundamental reform of the system for assessing the applications of those seeking international protection in Ireland. The new system will ensure that all aspects of a person's claim (Asylum, Subsidiary Protection and Permission to Remain) are considered together rather than sequentially, as heretofore....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences Data (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have requested a report from the Garda authorities on the matters raised by the Deputy and will contact the Deputy directly on receipt of this report.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Strength (23 May 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 this 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 College (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware I have indicated my concern at the seriousness of the findings of the Interim Internal Audit Report in relation to the finances at the Garda College Templemore. While an interim report it paints a disturbing picture of the manner in which the College finances were run and, in short, finds that the financial controls in place there could not be stood over. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Communications Surveillance (23 May 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I have made clear to the House, it is never the practice to comment publicly on the use of these powers in any particular case. Indeed, there are restrictions in the law on the disclosure of the existence of particular interceptions. In respect of the allegations made in reports, that the telephone of a political activist was intercepted at a time in the past, they have not been very...