Results 5,981-6,000 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service Strategies (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can advise the Deputy the Irish Prison Service published its three year strategic plan 2012-2015 on 30 April 2012. Appended to this document were the Irish Prison Service's strategy for the management of older prisoners, the strategy for the management of young offenders and women offenders, the strategy for reducing re-offending by sex offenders, and the strategy for the management of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service Strategies (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will be aware that the Irish Prison Service must accept all persons committed by the courts and does not have the option of refusing committals. I wish to advise the Deputy that the joint Probation Service/Irish Prison Service Women's Strategy 2014 - 2016, "An Effective Response to Women Who Offend" is ongoing and will be reviewed at the end of its term. The Women’s...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence Policy (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The protection of members of society from domestic violence, sexual violence and exploitation are primary concerns for me and my Department. The Istanbul Convention is a significant legal instrument in the fight against domestic and sexual violence. Ireland is fully supportive of the aims and terms of the Convention and the Deputy will be aware that Ireland signed the Convention on 5 November...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Domestic Violence Policy (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Many incidences of abuse in dating relationships are offences under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997, including assault, harassment and coercion. The provisions of a statutory definition of dating relationships is problematic. Questions that would arise include issues around when a dating relationship can be said to begin and the behavioural threshold required for a meeting...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Programme (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 provides that any person who, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, by any means including by use of the telephone, harasses another by persistently following, watching, pestering, besetting or communicating with him or her, is guilty of an offence. Harassment is deemed to occur where a person seriously interferes with...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification Applications (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the application for the person referred to by the Deputy is currently being processed and that the Family Reunification Unit recently requested more information. On receipt of the information requested the application for family reunification will be finalised. The Deputy may wish to note that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Station Closures (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Programme for a Partnership Government recognises that community policing is the embodiment of An Garda Síochána, providing a means of recognising that every community, both urban and rural, has its own concerns and expectations. It commits the Government to ensuring visible, effective and responsive policing in every community, including the most minimal response times...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Public Sector Pay (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will be aware that in 2011 the Government introduced revised rates of pay for new entrant public servants in order to reduce the Public Service Pay and Pensions Bill. This was one of a range of measures introduced over the period of the fiscal crisis which directly affected the pay of public servants. Since 2011, it is estimated that approximately €380,000 was saved by...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Commissions of Investigation (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I received the report of the O'Higgins Commission of Investigation on 25 April 2016. I published the report on 11 May 2016. As the Deputy is aware, the report was the subject of a debate in the House on 25 and 26 May 2016. In the course of my contribution I outlined the reasons why publication was not possible before the date on which I did publish it. As I have already informed the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Mortgage Debt (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The position is that the Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009 updated the law in relation to judgment mortgages registered after 1 December 2009 by repealing the Judgment Mortgage (Ireland) Acts 1850 and 1858 and replacing them with updated provisions as recommended by the Law Reform Commission in 2004. Section 116 of the 2009 Act provides that a creditor who has obtained a judgment...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Parole Boards (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Details of the membership of the Parole Board is set out each year in the Board's Annual Report which is published on my Department's website www.justice.ie. Details of members of the Parole Board since 1 January, 2011 are set out in a table. Current Members Name Date of Appointment / Reappointment Date of expiry of term Mr. John Costello (Chairman) 26th July 2014 25th July 2017 Ms....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Equality Legislation (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: Equality legislation prohibits discrimination in employment and in the provision of goods and services on the basis of nine grounds, including that of religion. Public servants are obliged to operate within the law regardless of their own religious beliefs or moral convictions and may not discriminate on grounds prohibited in the legislation. There is no exemption which enables a public...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Voluntary Euthanasia (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is an offence, under section 2(2) of the Criminal Law (Suicide) Act 1993, to assist another person in taking his or her life. The term euthanasia generally implies the intentional termination of a life by another at the request of a person wishing to die and could, therefore, be considered a form of assisted suicide. The 1993 Act provides for a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel, including civilians, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that personnel assignments throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are continually monitored and reviewed and are determined...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Home Repossessions (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: The position is that the Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness has recommended in its recently-published report that, subject to the advices of the Attorney General, the Government should introduce legislation for a moratorium on home repossessions until such time as the Government’s proposals in relation to housing and homelessness are in place. I can confirm that this...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Training (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that all Gardaí recruited since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014 undertake the new 2 year training programme which leads to a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Policing and is accredited by the University of Limerick. The programme is the outcome of a comprehensive review of foundation training for entrants to An Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Transport Data (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions in relation to the provision and allocation of Garda vehicles are a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the light of her identified operational demands and the availability of resources and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. The tables supplied provide an overview in relation to the number of Garda vehicles assigned to the Waterford...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Community Policing (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources, including Community Gardaí, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that the allocation of Gardaí is continually monitored and reviewed taking into account all relevant factors...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Anti-Social Behaviour (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am, of course, conscious of the impact which anti-social behaviour and the types of crime referred to have on the quality of life for residents in local communities. An Garda Síochána continues to tackle public disorder and anti-social behaviour by working with communities to reduce this type of behaviour and enhance community safety. The Garda approach includes a strong focus on...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (21 Jun 2016)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 103 together. I have no plans to introduce a general regularisation scheme for those who are currently undocumented in the State as a proposal of this nature could give rise to very large, unpredictable and potentially very costly impacts across the full range of public and social services. Also any possible implication for the operation of the...