Results 6,641-6,660 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Complaints Procedures (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy managed, during the course of those questions, to make a variety of allegations against a variety of people, all of which were incorrect. The first allegation he made was that the Garda Commissioner has sought to rubbish the inquiry into ticket charges. I am not aware that the Commissioner has done that. I am aware that he is taking the matter very seriously and has required...

Other Questions: Criminal Legal Aid (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The current legislation governing the criminal legal aid scheme is the Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962 and a series of regulations made thereunder. The Act provides that an applicant for criminal legal aid must establish to the satisfaction of the court that his or her means are insufficient to enable him or her to pay for legal representation him or herself. The Court must also be...

Other Questions: Criminal Legal Aid (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: Just to take the last question first, as the Deputy may recall, we reduced the fees payable under the criminal legal aid scheme on two occasions since we have been in office. The effect of that was that considerable savings were made last year. The outturn for 2012, which is to be finally confirmed, was that the cost of the legal aid scheme fell to €50 million, representing a saving...

Other Questions: Garda Deployment (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 12 together. All gardaí have a responsibility in the prevention and detection of criminal activity whether it be in the area of burglary, drug offences or otherwise. Specifically with regard to drugs, I can assure the Deputy that An Garda Síochána continues to proactively and resolutely tackle all forms of drug crime in this jurisdiction....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Industrial Relations Issues (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I have not met with any of the Garda representative bodies since 22 February 2013. The Garda Commissioner, whose function it is, under the Garda Síochána Act of 2005, to direct and control the Garda Síochána, has kept me fully briefed on developments as they arise in this particular matter. In fact, the Commissioner has recently met with the executive committees of all...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Industrial Relations Issues (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I did not say that.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Industrial Relations Issues (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: No, I said I have not met any of them since 22 February.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Industrial Relations Issues (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I am conscious that there has always been some degree of tension between whoever is Minister for justice of the day and the Garda representative bodies. Personally, I do not take that aspect of matters seriously. What I do take seriously is that the gardaí do their work well, which is the case, and that I do what I can to be supportive of them in the work they do. That is why I was so...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Industrial Relations Issues (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: That is all I can do. My door is always open to meet and discuss issues but in the context of those coming through the door I cannot renegotiate the outcome of the talks.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Complaints Procedures (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Ombudsman Commission commenced operations in May 2007. From May 2007 to the end of January 2013 the Garda Ombudsman Commission has received 13,673 complaints of which 7,718 were deemed to be admissible in accordance with the provisions of the Act of 2005. During this period the ombudsman advised that the commission referred 149 cases to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Remuneration (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I have genuine concerns about the position in which members of the force now find themselves. I believe the force was very ill-served by the conduct of the GRA and the AGSI in stepping outside the talks. They had a very important contribution to make to shaping the outcome of those talks and to addressing specific issues that related to members of An Garda Síochána with which I am...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Remuneration (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: It was only in later days that the suggestion was put forward that they had been excluded from the talks. I want to say in direct response to the point raised by the Deputy that both the Commissioner and I are always available to engage in constructive and meaningful discussions on matters affecting members of An Garda Síochána. However, it must be clearly understood that, in any...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Remuneration (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I understand those difficulties but similar difficulties are being experienced by people across the public service. They are unfortunately a consequence-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Remuneration (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: -----of the enormous financial difficulties with which the State is confronted.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Remuneration (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: To be of help to the Deputy, we will have an opportunity to respond to his other questions later.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Transport (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The decision to close 100 Garda stations in 2013 was the result of a comprehensive operational assessment carried out by the Garda Commissioner over a 12-month period and proposed in the Commissioner's policing plan for 2013, which I laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. The plan contained the Commissioner's proposals for the continued re-organisation and consolidation of the Garda...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Transport (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Garda currently has 2,436 vehicles, which is roughly equivalent to the numbers it had in 2007 at the height of the Celtic tiger. An additional €5 million has been made available to it this year for the purchase of additional vehicles. Indeed, it may come to pass that if we can achieve the same effective financial approach to work in 2013 in my Department that we achieved in 2012,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Resources (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I have regular discussions with the Garda Commissioner, including discussions on Garda resources. It goes without saying that no Minister would choose the appalling financial position in which I have had to operate. In that context, the legacy the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government bequeathed to me was a series of expenditure ceilings for the justice sector which, if applied, would...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Resources (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy obviously has listening difficulties. He stated I appeared to be hamstrung-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Resources (6 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy stated I appeared to be prepared to be hamstrung by Fianna Fáil's financial allocation.