Results 3,921-3,940 of 8,976 for speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers, RACO, has stated one in ten officers has resigned from the Defence Forces in the past two years after becoming disillusioned with the job. It is stating the last reorganisation of the Defence Forces in 2012 and 2013 continues to place very significant demands on association members. Has the Minister engaged with it to discuss these...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: One cannot predict with certainty the numbers who will retire every year. I understand enlisted personnel serve for a defined period and that as suh one can predict that they will retire on a certain date, but do officers have more flexibility? Will the Minister explain why he cannot predict with certainty the exact numbers who will retire in order that he can budget appropriately for a...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Will the Minister, please, answer the question?

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: The Minister is saying he has a sense of when the vast majority will retire from knowing the dates they joined and the number of years they have served but that he cannot predict when personnel will resign or retire early.

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I do not have a major gripe with the Minister's explanation and understand one cannot predict what will happen with more than 97% certainty. However, as there has been a repeated overrun in the past few years, do other components of the Defence Forces lose out? The Department seems to be able to find the money to close the gap, but will there be an underfunding of other areas? Is it...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 35 - Army Pensions (Supplementary) (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I thank the Chairman for his patience. We have a list here of the number of personnel that retired and the number recruited from 2008 to present. The discrepancy between the two peaked in 2009 and 2010. For example, in 2009, 499 retired and 47 were recruited; in 2010, 522 retired and 145 were recruited. The peak of retirements was in 2012, when 793 retired, which was a very large number,...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Defence Forces Report: Motion (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I fully endorse the Minister's concluding comments on the pride Irish people take in our Defence Forces, who serve our country with honour, particularly in the blue helmet peacekeeping missions overseas. We are all immensely proud of and grateful to them for what they have done for us in the international community. Regarding the UNIFIL operation, there are increased tensions in Lebanon....

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Defence Forces Report: Motion (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Regarding UNDOF, we were concerned about whether the mission was fit for purpose. It is a deadly war zone in the region, and shares a border with Syria. Our troops acted with great bravery and skill in extracting the Filipino battalion, which was surrounded by hostile rebels. Is the Minister concerned about the escalating tensions in the area and Russian aircraft being shot down? What is...

Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Defence Forces Report: Motion (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: On the EU training mission in Mali, there has been a request for more troops under Article 42.7 of the Lisbon treaty, the mutual assistance agreement. It would mean French troops would be pulled out of Mali to be deployed as their President and Government see fit. Is the Minister considering deploying more Irish troops in Mali? What assurances can he give the Irish people about their...

Northern Ireland: Statements (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: What about Eoghan Harris?

Northern Ireland: Statements (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I was right what I said the last day, was I not?

Northern Ireland: Statements (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I was 100% right about Eoghan Harris.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Management and Administration of the Courts: Courts Service of Ireland (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: My first question relates to digital audio recordings. I welcome the confirmation in the opening statement that this service has been extended to every single court in the country, as I understand it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Management and Administration of the Courts: Courts Service of Ireland (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: That is very welcome. Will Mr. Ryan clarify an issue for me? I am aware of a number of cases where digital audio recordings had to be reverted to because there was a conflict around the ruling by the judge. The recordings were very important and had they not been available, justice would not have been served. Is it the practice of registrars to revert to the digital audio recording system...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Management and Administration of the Courts: Courts Service of Ireland (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: With the Chairman's permission, I will ask a supplementary question. If the registrar has a digital audio recording, which is unquestionably the account of what actually happened and what the judge ruled on, why would a registrar, rather than relying on the digital audio recording, rely on the opinion of the solicitors acting on behalf of the parties? Is it Mr. Ryan's opinion that a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Management and Administration of the Courts: Courts Service of Ireland (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: My second question is on oversight. Our committee produced a report on the issue of policing and touched on the administration of justice. One of the practices in the North of Ireland is a criminal justice inspectorate that oversees a range of aspects of the criminal justice system and has a big picture or a helicopter view of the system as it works. The opinion of our committee is that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Management and Administration of the Courts: Courts Service of Ireland (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: Would Mr. Ryan be resistant in any way to the introduction of a criminal justice inspectorate?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Management and Administration of the Courts: Courts Service of Ireland (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: My final question is on the family courts. The development in Dublin is very welcome. The Government confirmed yesterday that there is no constitutional bar to rolling out a family court system and it was reported in the media today. Hopefully, in the next Government term, there will be a roll-out of dedicated family courts. I am sure Mr. Ryan is concerned, as all of us are, about the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Management and Administration of the Courts: Courts Service of Ireland (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: I agree 100% with Mr. Ryan about the family mediation issue. In terms of the court buildings, Mr. Ryan mentioned buildings from a certain period and moving forward. What are his criteria in terms of client-solicitor spaces? Is there a basic design that has been agreed in co-operation with consumer or legal organisations?

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Departmental Properties (25 Nov 2015)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn: 84. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he is aware of the application from a respected community development organisation based in Inishowen to utilise the old Garda station at St. Oran's Road, Buncrana, County Donegal as an amenity for the local community in Inishowen; if he will give this matter his full consideration. [41978/15]