Results 4,801-4,820 of 14,127 for speaker:David Stanton

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Gambling Legislation (6 Mar 2018)

David Stanton: The Government, on 10 January, 2018, approved the updating of the 2013 General Scheme of the Gambling Control Bill. The proposed updating follows on from the review work undertaken in the Department of Justice and Equality and consultations with interested stakeholders. Changes to the Scheme will be subject to further consultations with the Office of the Attorney General and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Leave (27 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has approved drafting of a Family Leave Bill, which will consolidate all existing family leave legislation such as parental leave, carer's leave, maternity leave and adoptive leave into one Act while making necessary amendments and improvements.  There will be an opportunity for any anomalies, such as the one that the Deputy has...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Leave (22 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: As the Deputy will be aware, Parental Leave is provided for in the Parental Leave Act 1998, as amended by the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2006, and further regulated by the European Union (EU) Parental Leave Directive 2010/18/EU which was transposed into Irish Law on 8 March 2013. Section 7 of the Parental Leave Act 1998 stipulates that Parental Leave may consist of a continuous...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Data (20 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: As the Deputy is aware, the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was established by Government Decision on 10 September 2015 in direct response to the humanitarian crisis that developed in Southern Europe as a consequence of mass migration from areas of conflict in the Middle East and Africa.  Under this programme, the Government has pledged to accept a total of 4,000 persons...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parental Leave (15 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Partnership Government includes a commitment to increase paid parental leave during the first year of a child’s life, as research shows that parental care is of particular importance in the first year of life. To further this commitment, the Government has established an interdepartmental working group to develop proposals to give effect...

Questions on Promised Legislation (14 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: A lot of work has been done on the Bill in the past 12 months. The legislation is with the Attorney General to provide for a number of specific changes to the current antiquated Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956 and I expect it will be published soon. On the broader issue of gambling, this is a complex and evolving area of policy. We have carried out a lot of research in this area. On 10...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Gender Recognition (14 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: As the Deputy is aware, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection holds primary responsibility for transgender policy.  This Department has not prepared specific written guidelines for staff or the public in dealing with transgender matters. Staff are trained to deliver an appropriate level of customer service and this training includes detailed training on all...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Resettlement Programme (14 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: The Government established a Taskforce in September 2015 to manage and coordinate the logistical aspects of resettling people in Ireland under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). Minister Charles Flanagan T.D. and I participate in the Taskforce which is composed of key Government Departments, State Agencies and non-State actors. Concern was expressed by the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Data (13 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: A number of persons are temporarily accommodated in the Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre (EROC) located in Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, under the relocation strand of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP).  As the name suggests, an EROC is largely about reception and orientation for those who are to be subsequently resettled and the majority of persons being relocated...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Resettlement Programme (13 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: The Emergency Reception and Orientation Centre in Ballaghaderreen, County Roscommon is contracted to provide accommodation, catering, housekeeping, general maintenance, security and other services for persons who have been relocated to Ireland under the EU relocation programme. The contractor is required to keep the Department informed about staffing details. There are currently 36 persons...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Resettlement Programme (13 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: All ancillary services including laundry, cleaning, catering supplies etc., provided in accommodation centres under contract to the Department of Justice and Equality are included in the contract agreed following negotiations with the principal contractor. The Department only holds details of this primary contract for the provision of services to the residents in Ballaghaderreen...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Equality Issues (13 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: Ireland has comprehensive and robust equality legislation in place – namely the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 and the Equal Status Acts 2000-2015 – which prohibits discrimination on ten specific grounds – Age; Gender; Sexual orientation; Civil status; Family status; Religious belief; Disability; Race, colour nationality, ethnic or national origins; Membership of the...

Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (8 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: This has been a very interesting debate. Deputy Róisín Shortall commenced by stating the Government paid scant attention to the issue of family leave. However, that claim does not stand up because the Government brought forward the Paternity Leave and Benefit Act which provided for extra leave from 1 October 2017 in respect of premature babies, the programme for Government...

Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017: Second Stage [Private Members] (8 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: I am very happy to have the opportunity to join the debate on the Parental Leave (Amendment) Bill 2017. This is a significant Bill, and it is regrettable that we do not have pre-legislative scrutiny of Private Members' Bills. I have said this here previously and I will say it again. When I was Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, we dealt with many topics...

Topical Issue Debate: Garda Vetting (8 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: The investment in the vetting system in recent years is a clear indication that the Government is taking this matter very seriously. There has been a very significant expansion in the capacity of the vetting bureau, especially since the introduction of the e-vetting system. In 2017, the vetting bureau received 497,026 applications, that is almost half a million, which is an increase from...

Topical Issue Debate: Garda Deployment (8 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: I am not sure if I detected an apology there for the closure of Templemore in 2010 and congratulations that we managed to get it open and that we are recruiting these extra numbers.

Topical Issue Debate: Garda Deployment (8 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: I will wait for that. I would expect that every time Fianna Fáil speaks here, its members would apologise first for the mess they made of the country and the catastrophic disaster they made.

Topical Issue Debate: Garda Deployment (8 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: They forget that and they wipe it out. I assure the Deputies that Garda management keeps the distribution of the resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities and that the needs of all divisions are taken into account. They have made significant progress in tackling the threat of organised crime, particularly in Dublin's north inner city....

Topical Issue Debate: Garda Deployment (8 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: I take into account the genuine concerns of colleagues here and across the country. We have to fight this together. The Deputies are right to bring it up and to keep arguing about it. We are listening and we are working to increase the numbers and to maximise the turnout from Templemore. That is the essential point. I thank Deputies for their time.

Topical Issue Debate: Garda Vetting (8 Feb 2018)

David Stanton: On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, I thank Deputy Deering for raising this important issue. As the House will be aware, Garda vetting for employment purposes is carried out by An Garda Síochána primarily in accordance with the provisions of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012. In this regard, the primary focus of the Garda national...