Results 2,961-2,980 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Garda Deployment (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will appreciate that I have no direct role in the determination of whether Garda security is required. This is an operational matter for An Garda Síochána.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Prison Service (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is my intention to agree to the extension of the remit of the existing Ombudsman to prisons. This is in line with the report of the Inspector of Prisons, R.I.P., on the prisoner complaints system “Review, Evaluation and Analysis of the Operation of the present Irish Prison Service Complaints Procedure”.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Court Accommodation Refurbishment (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to refer the Deputy to reply given to Parliamentary Question no. 120 of 14 February 2017 from Deputy Mattie McGrath, the text of which is as follows: ''As the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts, including the provision of accommodation for court sittings, is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Garda Investigations (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have received a copy of the correspondence referred to and I am very conscious of the seriousness of the matters which have been raised in this case. I am also mindful of the considerable distress experienced by the person in question over an extended period. I understand that the initial complaint related to a physical assault which occurred in 2006, and for which a person was charged...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Travel (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to inform the Deputy that it has not been possible to provide the information required in the time available. The information is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Direct Provision System (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 16(3)(b) of the International Protection Act 2015, provides that applicants for international protection shall not seek, enter or be in employment or engage for gain in any business, trade or profession during the period before the final determination of their application. There is an effective visa and immigration system in place for those who wish to lawfully migrate to the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service Staff (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Due to the nature of their work, a number of divisions within the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department receive regular cultural awareness training, which encompasses training on how to sensitively deal with persons in the protection process who may have suffered various types of degrading treatment. Extensive training is provided to staff in the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Immigration Controls (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Information supplied by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) in relation to queue times for arriving passengers at Dublin Airport shows that over 90% of all travellers are processed through immigration control in a matter of minutes with the figures being even higher for passengers of EU nationalities. This is in the context of passenger numbers at Dublin Airport reaching record levels last...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Garda Resources (15 Feb 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 Garda Commissioner that the allocation of Gardaí is continually monitored and reviewed taking into account all relevant factors including crime trends,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Human Trafficking (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ireland endeavours to achieve best practice in its victim-centred approach to combating human trafficking and provides a wide range of services to victims of trafficking. These include accommodation (where necessary), medical care and planning, psychological assistance, material assistance, legal aid and advice, security advice, vocational training and education. The Government...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Prisoner Releases (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that the person in question is serving a sentence of life imprisonment. Having served 15 years in prison, he was released in 2007 in the context of a carefully structured and tightly controlled temporary release programme to live in the community under the supervision of the Probation Service, while subject to strict conditions and a schedule of...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Visa Applications (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that certain restrictions on consideration of Irish visa applications from residents of Libya have been in place since August, 2014 due to the political and security situation in Libya. In doing so, all relevant considerations including the ongoing security situation in Libya and the potential economic impact of the restrictions were taken into account. There is provision...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Visa Data (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Applications for D Join family visas are processed in accordance with the guidelines set out in my Department's Policy Document on non-EEA Family Reunification published in December, 2013. Each visa application is decided on its own merits taking all relevant factors into account. As with all visa services worldwide, the central concern in deciding on visa applications is to strike an...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Visa Data (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. More generally, the Visa Office is currently experiencing delays in processing such applications due to the large volumes of applications of this type received particularly since the second quarter of 2015. Legal...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Road Traffic Offences Data (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: With effect from 27 October, 2011 certain offences contrary to Sections 4 and 5, Road Traffic Act, 2010 (i.e. driving, or attempting to drive, or in-charge of a vehicle while, under the influence of an intoxicant) may be dealt with by way of Fixed Penalty Notice, in lieu of the commencement of criminal proceedings, for persons deemed suitable by the Regulations. The following table shows the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Brexit Issues (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It has always been the case that Ireland and the United Kingdom cooperate closely on immigration and border matters, in particular as they relate to securing the Common Travel Area (CTA) and we will continue to cooperate, and to strengthen that cooperation, in the future. Both Governments have publicly declared their commitment to ensuring no return to a so-called 'hard border' on the island...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Stardust Fire (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The 'Programme for a Partnership Government' committed the Government to have full regard to "...any new evidence which emerges which would be likely to definitively establish the cause of the fire at Stardust". Since the passing of a motion by Dáil Éireann on 26th January 2017 which called on the Government "...to meet with the Stardust Relatives’ and Victims Committee...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Programme for Government Initiatives (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Since my appointment as Minister for Justice and Equality, I have overseen a significant programme of reform in Garda oversight and accountability. The establishment of the Policing Authority represents one of the most significant and progressive reforms to the justice sector over recent years and the recent transfer of the appointment function in relation to the senior ranks is a...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: US Preclearance Facilities at State Airports (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 to 109, inclusive, together. The Taoiseach announced at the end of January that he had ordered that a review be undertaken by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Justice and Equality of the operation of US preclearance in Dublin and Shannon Airports, and work has been...

Clarification of Statements made by the Taoiseach and Ministers: Statements (Resumed) (14 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is two years since I met them and I have a detailed note of the meeting. It was about a range of issues that Sergeant Maurice McCabe was concerned about at that time. The Deputy is rushing to judgment again because at that point-----