Results 2,761-2,780 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy has raised a series of issues of importance. I will do my best to respond to as many of them as I can. First, the Minister for Justice, David Ford, MLA, and I are in regular contact. My most recent meeting with him was in Brussels on Thursday of last week. We also met briefly on Friday. On Thursday we had some substantive discussions of a preliminary nature arising out of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Traveller Culture (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I am aware of calls on the part of many Travellers, including a number of national Traveller movements, for recognition of Travellers as an ethnic minority but equally of the fact that this is not a universally shared view. I am also aware of calls for the Government to consider granting such status in the context of international conventions to which Ireland is a party. I have, against...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Services Regulation (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 75, 83, 96 and 351 together. Under the Solicitors Acts 1954 to 2011 the Law Society is the designated authority responsible for the regulation of the solicitors' profession in the State. As part of that function, particularly under Part IV of the Solicitors (Amendment) Act 1994 dealing with the 'Protection of Clients', the Law Society is obliged to continue...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Remit (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission was established under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to provide independent oversight of complaints made against members of the Garda Síochána. The Garda Ombudsman Commission has a hugely important role in ensuring that public confidence in the Garda Síochána is safeguarded, and has extensive powers under the 2005...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Insolvency Service of Ireland Application Numbers (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: In the interest of confidentiality, the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI) has stated that 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 number of applications have been processed. It might be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Education Service (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I wish to inform the Deputy that Educational services are available in all prisons and are provided in partnership with a range of educational agencies including the Education Training Boards (ETBs), Public Library Services, the Open University and the Arts Council. The teachers' salaries are funded by the Department of Education and Skills who provide an allocation of 220 whole-time teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Reports (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The report of April 2013 from the Professional Standards Unit in the Garda Síochána looked at the processes and systems which are in place concerning the cancellation of fixed charge processing notices. The report complements the report prepared by Assistant Commissioner John O'Mahoney of his examination into the allegations of irregularities in the operation of the Fixed Charge...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Reports (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Report to which the Deputy refers raised issues relating to the management and use of Covert Human Intelligence Sources and more generally cooperation between the Garda Commissioner and the Garda Ombudsman Commission. I sought the observations of the Garda Commissioner on the report and its recommendations. The Garda Commissioner's observations pointed out the many changes which had...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Magdalen Laundries Report (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Government has decided to implement the recommendations of Mr Justice Quirke but not always exactly in the way recommended by him. For example, his 10th Recommendation was that the provision in Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 allowing for a person to be appointed to act in the best interest of the vulnerable person should be extended to women who benefit under the ex gratia scheme....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: When I came into office in March 2011 one of my immediate priorities was to address the large backlog of citizenship applications for naturalisation pending a decision that had built up over several years. At that time there were approximately 22,000 applications awaiting decision, many of which had been waiting for 3 years or longer. Notwithstanding the significant increase of almost 60%...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Investigations (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: As I informed the Deputy in my response to his Question of 13 November 2013, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission requires the members of the Commission and all staff, on an annual basis, to submit a declaration in relation to any conflict of interest which may arise in the course of the performance of their functions or duties for inclusion in a Register of Interests. This...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Investigation (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The murder of Garda Richard Fallon was a terrible tragedy for his family and I want to, again, express my deepest sympathy to them. On top of that personal tragedy, his murder was also an event that can only be described as a heinous crime carried out by ruthless individuals with no respect for human life. In view of the fact that Garda Richard Fallon was carrying out his duties as a member...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ombudsman for Children Investigations (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I can inform the Deputy that the required Order under Section 42 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, to allow for Ms Emily Logan to conduct an independent Inquiry into these events has been made. This Order has been made by way of a Statutory Instrument entitled "Garda Síochána Act 2005 (Section 42)(Special Inquiries Relating to Garda Síochána) Order 2013" notice...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Protection (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: The position is that while revenue sheriffs are formally appointed by the Minister for Justice and Equality, their primary statutory function is to collect outstanding tax and interest liabilities on behalf of the Office of the Revenue Commissioners under section 962 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, as amended. They are not accountable to the Minister for Justice and Equality for their...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Practitioners (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I can advise the Deputy that there are a total of 86 Personal Insolvency Practitioners (PIPs) currently authorised by the Insolvency Service of Ireland (ISI). In addition, there are 53 individuals within 21 Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) companies authorised to act as Authorised Intermediaries. Details on a county basis are set out in the following table. I am advised that the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Cross-Border Co-operation (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: My latest meeting with the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice, David Ford MLA, was on Thursday last, 5 December, in the margins of the meeting of the EU Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers in Brussels. We had an informal discussion on a number of issues, including that of North-South police co-operation and the programme of personnel exchanges, secondments and lateral entry...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Act (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: It is a matter for a Personal Insolvency Practitioner to formulate an individual arrangement between an insolvent debtor and all of the creditors that may be involved in his or her financial situation. Details of Personal Insolvency Practitioners based around the country are available on the Insolvency Service of Ireland website at www.isi.gov.ie. There is also a Guide to a Personal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Location of Victims' Remains (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I meet regularly with my Northern Ireland counterparts to discuss a full range of cross-Border criminal justice and policing issues of mutual interest. Naturally, issues related to the victims of crime and of troubles-related incidents feature in our discussions. The House will be aware that there is one very particular group of victims created over the course of the conflict in Northern...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Investigations (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: I regret that the information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in the time allowed. I will write to the Deputy when the information is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Money Laundering (10 Dec 2013)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy will be aware, money laundering is a method by which criminals seek to disguise the illegal origins of their wealth and protect their asset bases, so as to avoid the suspicion of law enforcement agencies and to prevent leaving a trail of incriminating evidence. While money laundering is an offence of itself, it would of course be reasonable to consider it closely associated...