Results 2,101-2,120 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: GoSafe.

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: Looking under appropriations-in-aid, safety cameras are listed along with certain receipts from fixed charges. What normally happens is that we assess how much comes in, the cost of it all and it is dealt with in a readjustment at the end of the year because it cannot be predicted. One assesses how much comes in, what is the cost of it all and then it is dealt with in a readjustment at end...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: Any policing initiative of an operational nature that the Garda Commissioner wishes to take is a matter for the Garda Commissioner in this context. I do know that in some communities there have been arrangements made for gardaí to be available in local community centres in areas in which stations have been closed. There was not a necessity for any specific subhead that comes under the...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: Again, it is a matter for the Commissioner to determine the allocation of new vehicles. I can tell the Deputy that there is no shortage of new vehicles. If the Deputy had visited, I suspect, the Garda headquarters in Phoenix Park this morning he would have seen a number of vehicles waiting to go out. A substantial number of vehicles were purchased towards the end of the year and they get...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I think, through the Chair, the answer is it depends on the operational requirements in the individual district. I do not think there is an overall plan that designates how many vehicles one must have per head of population or per number of gardaí within an area. I think it depends on the operational needs within the particular area and they are very carefully assessed.

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: No, Deputy. It is not just coming onstream. The €4 million has not yet come on stream because €5 million came onstream between October and December of 2013.

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: That €5 million, as I have said earlier, was fully spent in the acquisition of vehicles. Those vehicles are in the course of currently being fitted out and distributed to the various districts. On top of that, there is a further €4 million. I would have previously mentioned that there has been very substantial investment in the Garda fleet. In effect there has been...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I thank the Deputy for the first question as it is important we address the issue. I keep reading newspaper reports that 25,000 people have applied and we are only recruiting 300 people, but that is not right. There will be a panel arising from the applications made. This is not a once-off and I hope we are getting to a position where we can stabilise matters. As the Deputy knows, prior...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I will offer a brief reply. The work done by the administrative staff is now freeing up members of the force. I do not have an immediate statistic for the Deputy of the number of other members of the force who could be freed if we recruited more civilian staff. From my knowledge of visiting Garda stations I know there is still work done by members of the force that could be done by...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I note what the Deputy says. I find continually depressing claims made by the GRA regarding the incapacity of the Garda Síochána to deal with issues of crime. It would be appropriate for it to, on some occasions, acknowledge the enormous success of the force and its own members. I have detailed some of those successes this morning. As a representative body, the GRA has an...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I am coming to that. The Deputy also asked about the GRA's commentary, which I think we need to address. We all know that regardless of how many members of the force we have or how efficient the force, there will always be bad people who do bad things and who commit crime. It is important we keep this in perspective because for an individual who is the victim of a crime, particularly a...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 20 - Garda Síochána (Revised)
Vote 21 - Prisons (Revised)
Vote 22 - Courts Service (Revised)
Vote 23 - Property Registration Authority (Revised)
Vote 24 - Department of Justice and Equality (Revised) (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: Thank you, Chairman, for the suggestion that none of us should be devious. That is a positive start to the morning. I welcome the opportunity to meet with the committee as it considers the 2014 Revised Estimates for my Department’s group of Votes, which were published in December. My earlier than usual appearance before the committee in relation to the 2014 Estimates has come about...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Building Regulations Compliance (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I wish to advise the Deputy that I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that the main capital projects currently underway are as set out below. The Deputy should be aware that the New Building Control Regulations will have no cost implications for these current prisons capital works. - Cork - new prison; - Wheatfield - Work & Training Building; - Limerick - heating upgrade...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the normal practice is to return all original documents submitted by persons during their asylum claim to the person concerned or their legal representative. I am advised that this practice was followed in the case referred to by the Deputy. Queries in relation to the status of individual...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Coroners Service (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will be aware that the Coroners Bill 2007 is before the Seanad having been restored to the Order Paper on my initiative. The Bill is being reviewed with a view, among other matters, to making it as cost-effective as possible. It is necessary to consider the impact of relevant legal and medical developments since the Bill's publication in 2007, and to examine the proposed...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Anti-Social Behaviour (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment on remarks made by a member of the Judiciary, apparently during the course of court proceedings. Law enforcement policy is, of course, a matter for the Government. I can assure the Deputy that I share the concerns of people in Tallaght that the most effective strategies to counter and prevent crime are pursued in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation has been received from the person referred to by the Deputy. As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Insolvency Service of Ireland Data (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 142 together. The Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) has indicated that in the interest of confidentiality it will not be providing details or breakdowns of the numbers of applications for the various debt relief solutions received or being processed at this time. The ISI fully intends to provide quarterly statistics once a statistically meaningful...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Data (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: I can advise the Deputy that there was 395 and 385 persons committed to custody for immigration related issues in 2011 and 2012 respectively. The breakdown of time spent in custody is set out in the table below. Time spent in custody 2011 2012 0-3 days 220 245 4-7 days 68 45 8-14 days 39 29 15-30 days 36 31 31-50 days 14 23 51+ days 18 12 Total 395 385 I can advise...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (29 Jan 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers in accordance with the Government policy of direct provision. Direct provision accommodation ensures that all persons awaiting a determination on their asylum or related applications are provided with the basic needs of food and shelter as well as other State services such as...