Results 2,001-2,020 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda authorities that all vehicles reported stolen to An Garda Síochána are recorded on the Garda Síochána PULSE system, which is available to all members of An Garda Síochána on a 24 hour basis. An Garda Síochána also has access to the National Vehicle File, which provides vehicle registration information. Since 2008 An Garda Síochána has had the ability,...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The position is that the Multi-Unit Developments Bill 2009 is currently awaiting resumption of Second Stage in the Dail having completed all stages in the Seanad.

Written Answers — Garda Reserve: Garda Reserve (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am pleased to say that there are now 555 attested Garda Reserve members with an additional 180 student Reserves in training, 83 of whom are expected to graduate this coming Friday. Garda Reserve members are allocated to Garda stations throughout the country, a list of which I am circulating with this answer. The Government has set a target strength for the Reserve at 10% of the full time...

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am satisfied that proposals to reduce the need for analyses in all cases to be conducted by the Forensic Science Laboratory will have full regard to all the legal requirements at issue.

Written Answers — Sentencing Policy: Sentencing Policy (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The judiciary has been developing, under a pilot project, a system to gather relevant criteria and to allow access to information about the range of sentences and other penalties which have been imposed for particular types of offence. This will be a valuable support to judges when considering the sentence to be imposed in an individual case. The pilot project is overseen by a steering...

Written Answers — Community Policing: Community Policing (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The figures available at the end of May 2010 show that there are 1,068 members of the Garda Síochána specifically assigned to community policing out of a total attested strength of 14,571. By comparison, at the end of 2007, 630 members were assigned to community policing, and the present number represents an increase of almost 70% on that figure. The Deputy will of course be aware that...

Written Answers — Crime Prevention: Crime Prevention (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: As the Deputy is aware, the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 entered into force, in its entirety, on 23 July 2009. The primary purpose of the legislation, together with the Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009, is to make additional measures available to An Garda Síochána to combat organised crime. Where there is justification and a legal basis, those suspected of involvement in...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Criminal Justice (Psychoactive Substances) Bill 2010, which was passed by the Seanad last week and is currently before this House, is part of the Government's multi-pronged approach targeting the sale of unregulated psychoactive substances. The primary vehicles for regulating psychoactive substances are the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 to 2007. On foot of the Government Order of 11 May...

Written Answers — Garda Complaints Procedures: Garda Complaints Procedures (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I welcome the 2009 Annual Report of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission which provides an update on the activities of the Commission for the year ending 31 December 2009, the second full calendar year of the Commission's operations. I am pleased to note that GSOC has carried out a re-structuring of its Divisions which has had the effect of producing greater efficiencies and resulted...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda authorities that during the period 1998 to 2010 (to 24 June) 196 murders involving a firearm were recorded. To date proceedings have commenced in 58 of these cases, and 24 convictions secured. All cases of murder where proceedings have not yet been taken remain under active Garda investigation. The detection rate by its nature increases over time as Garda...

Written Answers — Drug Courts: Drug Courts (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I recently published a Review of the Drug Treatment Court which, amongst other key issues, specifically addressed the questions raised by the Deputy. The findings of the Review suggest that participants who engage with the Drug Treatment Court programme have reduced rates of recidivism and improved health, education and social skills which impact positively on the participants and the...

Written Answers — Garda Resources: Garda Resources (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda Commissioner, that following the publication of the Garda Inspectorate Report on Resource Allocation, Deputy Commissioner Strategy and Change Management was appointed to consider the report and to co-ordinate an agreed and pragmatic programme of work to advance the implementation of the twenty-seven recommendations. My officials will work closely with the Garda...

Written Answers — Courts Orders: Courts Orders (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: There are a number of provisions in the law for ensuring that payments continue to be made by spouses in support of their dependent spouses and children. They include enabling powers for the courts to order attachment of the earnings of a debtor spouse, to order the securing of payments to the maintenance creditor, to order the payment of lump sums and to order arrears of maintenance to be...

Written Answers — Drugs in Prisons: Drugs in Prisons (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am aware of the comments made by the retiring Governor of Mountjoy Prison as referred to in your question. Mountjoy Prison is a Victorian prison which is now 160 years old. I accept that conditions in Mountjoy Prison are not ideal but I do not accept that conditions are inhumane. Deputies on all sides accept the need to replace the entire Mountjoy complex with a modern, regime focussed...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: In February 2010 the Dubai police confirmed that several suspects, believed to have been involved with the killing of a senior Hamas figure, had entered Dubai on the passports of a number of foreign countries, including a total of eight Irish passports. Subsequent investigations carried out by the Passport Service and by the Gardaí have confirmed that the eight Irish passports used were...

Written Answers — Prisoner Releases: Prisoner Releases (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I have been advised by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service that he has commissioned an internal investigation into the case of the person referred to in the question. It is too early in the process to give an indication of when the investigation will be finalised however I will consider what further appropriate action should be taken once the findings have been notified to me.

Written Answers — Tribunals of Inquiry: Tribunals of Inquiry (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Smithwick Tribunal was established pursuant to the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Acts 1921-2002, to enquire into suggestions that members of the Garda Síochána or other employees of the State colluded in the fatal shootings of RUC Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and RUC Superintendent Bob Buchanan in 1989. The Tribunal was established by the Oireachtas in May 2005 arising from the...

Written Answers — Sexual Offences: Sexual Offences (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 159 of 24 June 2010. The position is unchanged.

Written Answers — Prisoner Releases: Prisoner Releases (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I wish to advise the Deputy that the number of prisoners in custody on 24 June 2010 was 4,311 in custody. On the same date there were 933 prisoners on temporary release. The information for previous years is set out in the following table for the same date or a similar date in the past as requested by the Deputy. Year Numbers in custody Number of prisoners ontemporary release 2002 3,211...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (30 Jun 2010)

Dermot Ahern: My Department and the Garda Síochána, in consultation with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Office of the Attorney General, have been considering proposals for a new system which would allow the taking of contemporaneous written notes to cease where interviews are electronically recorded. There is, however, a complex range of training, technological and legal...