Results 5,421-5,440 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of the official recorded crime statistics, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose. The success of the Garda measures to tackle burglary being implemented through Operation Thor is borne out by latest CSO crime figures which show a very significant...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 90 together. The Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities, which was launched in October 2015, sets out a ten-year approach to ensuring that people with disabilities who are able to, and want to, work are supported and enabled to do so and constitutes an action plan to deliver on these objections. People with disabilities are only...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Registration of Title (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can inform the Deputy that under the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006, the Property Registration Authority (PRA) was established as and from 4 November 2006. The PRA replaced the Registrar of Deeds and Titles as the registering authority in relation to property registration in Ireland and, subject to the above Act, is independent in the performance of its functions. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Districts. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources. I have been informed...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Promotions (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The appointments made by Government to the ranks of superintendent and chief superintendent in An Garda Síochána on 12 July were made in accordance with the statutory framework as set out in the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and related regulations. In particular the appointees were drawn in order of merit from panels formed on foot of competitions held by the Commissioner in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Criminal Law (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Part IV of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015 makes a number of amendments to prostitution offences contained in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993. The primary amendment inserts a new section 7A into the Act of 1993 to provide for a new offence criminalising the purchase of sexual services. Under this section it shall be an offence, where, in the context of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Titles (20 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The name of my Department remained unchanged on the formation of the new Government on 6 May 2016. There are no plans, at this time, to change the name of the Department.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Sector Staff Recruitment (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy may be aware, I have recently approved a proposal to fill the County Registrar vacancy in Westmeath. A request for sanction to proceed with this proposal has been forwarded to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for consideration and once sanction has been approved, the recruitment process will be initiated through the Public Appointments Service.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Act (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can advise the Deputy that there have been a total of 2,927 debt solutions approved up to the end of March 2016, according to the latest statistics released by the ISI. The following table shows the total number of Debt Relief Notices (DRN), Debt Settlement Arrangements (DSA), Personal Insolvency Arrangements (PIA) and bankruptcies approved in the period Q1 2014 to end Q1 2016, by county; ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Data (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel and vehicles among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review taking into account crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. I have been informed by the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 to 108, inclusive, together. I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that all of the visa applications referred to by the Deputy were received by the Visa Office in Dublin on the 1st of June 2016. While each case is examined on its individual merits and some cases take longer than others depending on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Refugee Resettlement Programme (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was established by Government decision on 10 September 2015 as a 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. In announcing the Programme, the Government recognised the importance of addressing the position of unaccompanied...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy may recall from my response in the matter on 16 June, 2016, that I was informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned was granted permission to remain in the State under the provisions of the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2006 for a period of five years expiring on 21 July, 2016. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Investigations (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 111, 112 and 144 together. The circumstances surrounding the death of the young man referred to in the Deputies' questions are truly tragic. His family deserve every sympathy for their terrible loss. The first thing I should say is that an investigation by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is ongoing. That investigation was...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the visa application referred to was received in the Dublin Visa Office on 4 September, 2015. I am also advised that there has been an exponential increase, since the second quarter of 2015, in the number of such applications. While every effort is made to process these applications within a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Procedures (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy is aware, the Courts Service Act 1998 provides that management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that emergency applications such as protection orders and interim barring orders are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Investigation (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy may be aware, the new Programme for Government contains a commitment to publish legislation in relation to the regulation of the sale and purchase of precious metals including cash for gold. Over the past year my Department has undertaken a consultation process on this issue. A number of policy options were set out in the consultation document and these options took account...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Policing Co-operation (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 to 118, inclusive, together. The Undercover Policing Inquiry was established by the UK Authorities in March 2015 to inquire into and report on undercover police operations conducted by English and Welsh police forces in England and Wales. As the Deputy will understand, its establishment was a matter for the UK Authorities and the issue of requesting...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Orders (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware, the Courts Service Act 1998 provides that management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, which includes the provision of information on the courts system. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has provided the statistics below in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: State Pathology Service (19 Jul 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The new facilities at the site of the former Whitehall Garda Station are a collaboration between the Department of Justice and Equality and Dublin City Council to accommodate the Office of the State Pathologist and the City Mortuary. The Office of the State Pathologist will be located on the first floor of the building and the City Mortuary will be located on the ground floor. The Office...