Results 4,301-4,320 of 14,127 for speaker:David Stanton

Seanad: Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017: Committee Stage (6 Feb 2019)

David Stanton: Section 27 of the Parental Leave Act 1998 includes provisions relating to an employer's obligations to keep records on the uptake of parental leave and the manner in which it is taken by employees in their organisation. The provisions of the section also apply to force majeureleave taken by their employees. The section currently provides that records must be maintained by the employers in a...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Legislative Reviews (5 Feb 2019)

David Stanton: On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Charlie Flanagan, I thank Senator Bacik for raising this important matter and offer the Minister's apologies for not being able to address it in person.It is hard to believe it is so many years since we addressed this. It was 2012. I remind the House of the provisions of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 that related to...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Legislative Reviews (5 Feb 2019)

David Stanton: I thank the Senator for raising this matter and making those points. The Department of Justice and Equality is actively engaged in co-ordinating measures to reduce demand for the purchase of sexual services and in developing support strategies for persons seeking to exit prostitution. I recognise the important role of An Garda Síochána, the HSE, State agencies and the NGO sector...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Data (5 Feb 2019)

David Stanton: Persons arriving in Ireland under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme are initially accommodated in Emergency Reception and Accommodation Centres (EROCS). Three EROCs are in operation. These are: - The Abbeyfield Hotel, Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon - The Clonea Strand Hotel, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford - Mosney Accommodation Centre, Co. Meath Information in relation to the numbers...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Employment Rights (5 Feb 2019)

David Stanton: The Minister for Justice and Equality’s role in relation to retirement ages is limited to aspects covered by equality legislation. Equality legislation provides that retirement ages are in line with the relevant EU Directive provision permitting differences of treatment on the grounds of age, if, within the context of national law, they are objectively and reasonably justified by a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (5 Feb 2019)

David Stanton: I share the Deputy’s concerns about the very serious issues outlined in the Garda Commissioner’s Interim Report on youth crime cases from 2010 – 2017. In that period almost 160,000 youth crime incidents were referred for consideration under the Garda Diversion Programme. Roughly one third of these incidents were deemed unsuitable for inclusion in the juvenile diversion...

Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (31 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: I am pleased to have the opportunity to join this debate on the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No. 2) Bill 2017. I thank the Deputies opposite for bringing this matter to the floor of the House for debate. As Deputy Rabbitte said, it is an important issue and I know that other Deputies also agree with that. As the House is aware, the Bill seeks to prohibit discrimination on the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Gambling Legislation (31 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: I am happy to update the Deputy on the work I am undertaking to update our laws on gambling. The Deputy will be aware that an Inter-Departmental Working Group on Gambling was established as a result of the Government Decision of 10 January 2018 to review the 2013 General Scheme of the Gambling Control Bill and all relevant developments since. I chaired this group, comprising all...

Juvenile Crime: Motion [Private Members] (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: Deputy Rabbitte made a huge amount of sense in her remarks. I thank Fianna Fáil for bringing forward this important motion and I acknowledge the contributions made by Deputies on this serious issue. As stated earlier by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, we are treating this matter seriously. I acknowledge the motion. The Government's counter motion provides a...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Gambling Sector (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: The Deputy will be aware that I have previously addressed the issue of loot boxes and whether they constitute a gambling or e-commerce offering. A licence is required under the Betting Acts 1931 to 2015 or the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 to sell gambling products, and gaming, as defined under the latter Act, is covered in that regard. While the Minister for Justice and Equality has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Gambling Sector (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: That was one of the reasons we supported the declaration I mentioned. Parents have primary responsibility to protect their children in the purchase and use of video games, particularly those played online. The declaration to which I referred will serve to alert parents of potential issues and costs involved and encourage them to exercise greater control over purchase decisions. That the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Gambling Sector (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: I thank the Deputy for raising the matter, which is important because children are possibly being groomed by using the games before progressing to gambling. He is correct that people with gambling problems or addictions are the responsibility of the health authorities because it is a health matter. The Deputy made reference to the group that we established to review the main provisions...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: I am aware, as is the Deputy, that members of the Policing Authority asked whether similar issues could arise in the context of the prosecution and management of adult crime cases. The Commissioner acknowledged it would be necessary to examine the question further, which is where it lies at present. The authority has indicated that it will assess how the wider implications for Garda crime...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: The Garda authorities have taken a number of technical and organisational steps to prevent the recurrence of the failures outlined in the Garda review of cases from 2010 to 2017. I am advised that these measures have led to substantial improvements in case management. More work is under way within An Garda Síochána to verify the full details of the treatment of youth crime during...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: I thank the Deputy for his support and sincerity on these matters, which I welcome. With respect to victims, and in addition to the sincere apology issued by the Commissioner, gardaí have commenced a process to contact victims and provided a helpline for anyone affected by the failure to process these cases. Clearly, all relevant information must be made available to victims, including...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: I agree with the Deputy on this matter and thank him for raising it. It is very serious indeed. These issues arise from the Garda Commissioner's interim report on the handling of youth crime cases. As such, it was gardaí themselves who discovered the issues and sought to address them. The issues will be addressed through the implementation of the recommendations contained in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: I thank the Deputy for his questions and comments on the youth diversion programme and its projects. While it is correct to ask these questions, we must bear in mind that these issues related to juveniles who were under 18 and not adults. However, the question has been asked on adults and the Commissioner has indicated that he will look into it. As the Deputy said, it is very concerning...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: I share the Deputy’s concerns about the very serious issues outlined in the Garda Commissioner’s interim report on youth crime cases from 2010 to 2017. In that period, almost 160,000 youth crime incidents were referred for consideration under the Garda diversion programme. Roughly one third of these incidents were deemed unsuitable for inclusion in the juvenile diversion...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Data (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: Since April 2017, residents in direct prison accommodation centres can make complaints to the Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children in relation to the services and facilities provided in their accommodation centre.  A record of all complaints received from the Ombudsman is kept by the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department. In 2017, the Ombudsman...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Seeker Accommodation (30 Jan 2019)

David Stanton: In September of last year, the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department published a call for expressions of interest in the national press for premises to meet the increasing demand for accommodation for persons in the international protection process (asylum seekers). This call sought expressions of interest from parties interested in providing accommodation and...