Results 4,161-4,180 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: On 17 January 2013, the Council of the European Union established the EU Training Mission (EUTM Mali). The mission was formally launched by EU Foreign Affairs Council on 18 February 2013 and its initial mandate is to last for fifteen (15) months. The purpose of the mission is to provide military training and advice to the Malian Armed Forces in order to improve their capacity to maintain...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Veterans (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Department of Defence provides annual subventions to support and encourage the two officially recognised veteran groups, the Organisation of National ex-Servicemen (O.N.E.) and the Irish United Nations Veterans Association (IUNVA). O.N.E. receives a subvention of €40,000 per annum and IUNVA receives a subvention of €10,000 per annum from my Department. The Organisation of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Strength (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: Under the provisions of section 184J of the Defence Acts 1954 to 2011, the President may appoint, on the advice of the Government, one, or more than one, qualified officer of the Permanent Defence Force or a qualified person other than an officer of the Permanent Defence Force, to be a military judge. The minimum qualification required to qualify for appointment as a military judge is to be a...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Green Paper on Defence (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 25 and 589 together. Ireland's first White Paper on Defence was published in 2000. In the period since its publication, there have been significant changes in the defence and security environment with the emergence of new and complex security challenges. In this context, the Government decided that there is a requirement to prepare a new White Paper on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Land Ownership (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: A cadastre is a public record, survey, or map of the value, extent and ownership of land. A cadastral map is a map that shows the boundaries and ownership of the individual land parcels. We do not operate a cadastre in Ireland at present and no individual State organisation holds all of the relevant data. However, the data which could potentially form elements of a cadastre is established...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Protection (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: As I have indicated to the House previously, I, of course, fully understand the concerns which have arisen in the wake of recent media reports about the PRISM programme. I am aware too of reports which have appeared about the alleged activities of other security agencies. I raised the concerns which had been expressed about the PRISM programme with the US Attorney General Eric Holder at my...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: EU Funding (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Internal Security Fund is one of two funding programmes (the other being the Asylum and Migration Fund) proposed for the Home Affairs area under the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for the period 2014 to 2020. The legislative basis for the Internal Security Fund comprises the following two measures: A proposed Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Act (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 492 to 495, inclusive, together. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS), under the aegis of the Citizens Information Board (which comes under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection), provides a high quality service which assists people who are over-indebted or in danger of over-indebtedness, in particular those on low incomes. I...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I have requested a report from the Garda authorities in relation to the matter referred to by the Deputy. I will contact the Deputy directly as soon as the report is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 498, 584 and 585 together. As the Deputy will be aware, An Taoiseach told the House on 2 July of the situation that would apply should any claim for asylum be lodged here in respect of the individual in question. The situation as outlined by An Taoiseach at that time has not changed. No further contact has been made by or on behalf of the individual in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Remuneration (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: Under the Garda Síochána Pension Scheme my Department is responsible for authorising and paying pensions to retired Gardaí. The person in question retired from the Garda Síochána on 14th August 2004 and at that time was paid a net retirement gratuity of €33,982.54, together with an annual pension which currently amounts to €19,654.20 per annum. On 24th...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Charities Regulation (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Government recently approved plans by my Department to proceed with the establishment of an independent Charities Regulatory Authority under the terms of the 2009 Charities Act. The Authority will be an independent body under the aegis of the Department of Justice and Equality. In addition to functions set out in the Charities Act, it will take on the functions of the Commissioners of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Rental Agreements (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy will be aware, I have legislative responsibility for aspects of landlord and tenant law. In that context, during the course of 2011, I sought to develop proposals which would give effect to the commitment in the Programme for Government to legislate to end upward-only rent review clauses for leases entered into prior to 28 February 2010. As is well known, in December of that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 502, 505 and 521 together. I do believe that it is important for an organisation such as the Garda Síochána to have some regular intakes of new recruits, even if on a modest scale. In this context, I am very pleased to have received sanction from my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, to hold a recruitment competition for An...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Judicial Appointments (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 503 and 557 together. The Deputy will be aware that under the Irish Constitution judges are appointed by the President on the advice of the Government. Such appointments are dealt with by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board which was established pursuant to the Courts and Court Officers Act 1995. Section 17 of the same Act provides that these procedures...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Vetting Application Numbers (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: Garda Vetting is conducted by the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) for organisations registered with the Unit for that purpose. The Unit processed approximately 328,000 vetting applications on behalf of these organisations in 2012. I am informed by the Garda authorities that the current average processing time for applications is approximately 14 weeks from date of receipt. However, seasonal...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Criminal Law Review (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 506 and 535 together. The report referred to by the Deputies was published by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality on 27 June and I have not yet had the opportunity to fully consider its contents. The report of the Joint Committee and the views expressed at a conference on prostitution hosted by my Department last October will be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: International Policing Co-operation (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 507 and 515 together. The Deputy may wish to note that Garda vetting is only provided in the case of those seeking employment in Ireland with registered organisations where the employment involves substantial unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults. Criminal history vetting for general employment purposes, here or abroad, is not available on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: UN Conventions Issues (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 508 and 556 together. It is the Government's intention to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to ensure that all necessary legislative and administrative requirements under the Convention are being met. As the Deputy may be aware, Ireland does not become party to treaties...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Witness Intimidation (18 Jul 2013)

Alan Shatter: As I indicated to the Deputy in my replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 126 and 135 of 13 June, the intimidation of a witness or juror is an offence pursuant to Section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1999, which specifies the offence as harming, threatening or menacing or in any other way intimidating or putting in fear another person who is assisting in the investigation of an offence by...