Results 6,661-6,680 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Retention (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The Government approved the revision of existing data retention legislation to take account of evolving ECJ jurisprudence in this area in October 2017. Drafting of the Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2018 is well advanced and I would expect to publish the Bill in early 2019.   I am aware of the recent High Court case to which the Deputy refers. The judgment will be examined by my...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Accommodation Refurbishment (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts, including the provision of accommodation for court sittings, is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions. However, a number of developments in relation to Courts Service accommodation requirements are outlined in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Accommodation (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I have been advised by my officials of the Irish Prison Service that plans to place the first prisoner in the National Violence Reduction Unit (NVRU) are nearing completion and the intention is that the new facility will commence operations in the short term. The Deputy will appreciate that the development of the NVRU represents a new departure in the management of violent...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Security (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The Director General of the Irish Prison Service (IPS) was asked to provide a full report on all of the circumstances surrounding the escape of the prisoner (details supplied) during a hospital appointment at Tallaght Hospital on 17th February 2015. This report was received in March 2015 and it sets out the security and operational circumstances of the incident and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: General Data Protection Regulation (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware from the detailed response which I gave to previous Parliamentary Questions from the Deputy, in particular Questions  623 and 628 on 24 July last, concerning commencement of section 30 of the Data Protection Act 2018, Article 58 of the GDPR already confers a far reaching power on supervisory authorities such as the Data Protection...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner has responsibility to manage and control generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including by arranging for the recruitment, training and appointment of its members. The Commissioner has indicated that there will be three attestations in 2019, most likely in March, June and November, though these dates...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Data Retention (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011 Act already provides for a number of the requirements identified by the European Court of Justice.  The current Act provides that data can only be accessed by specific agencies where the data is required for the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of a serious offence, the safeguarding of the security of the State or the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Data (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I have requested a report from the Garda authorities on the information sought by the Deputy and I will contact him directly when the report is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service Administration (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As outlined in responses to previous parliamentary questions, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department became aware in September of customers experiencing difficulties booking registration appointments. Some of these difficulties had arisen because third party agents had been able to secure multiple appointments through the use of automatic...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Referendum Campaigns (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy is aware, the Government has agreed to hold a referendum on divorce together with the European Parliament and local elections in May 2019. I am currently considering the question of the scope of the amendment on divorce that might be proposed for the referendum. I intend to bring proposals to Government early in the New Year to ensure adequate time for parliamentary and...

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Referendum Campaigns (12 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy is aware, the Government has agreed to hold a referendum on divorce together with the European Parliament and local elections in May 2019. I am currently considering the question of the scope of the amendment on divorce that might be proposed for the referendum. I intend to bring proposals to Government early in the New Year to ensure adequate time for parliamentary and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Stations (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 220 and 226 together. As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána as well as for decisions in relation to the allocation and management of Garda equipment and resources, including in relation to ICT, in light of his identified...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Applications (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I have been advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the visa application referred to was granted, under delegated sanction, by the Irish Embassy in Singapore on 10 December 2018. The applicant will be notified directly and may contact the Embassy to arrange collection of their passport and visa. Queries in relation to the status of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Facilities (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: In February 2004, the Government gave approval for the then Minister for Justice and Equality to replace the facilities at the Mountjoy Prison complex with a new prison facility on a greenfield site. This development was to address the lack of capacity in the prison system and substantial operational challenges in the Mountjoy complex. On 11 February 2004 advertisements looking for suitable...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Transfers (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Acts 1995 to 1997 give effect to the Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons 1983. The Deputy will also be aware that there have been a number of recent Court judgements which have implications for transferring prisoners from other States to Ireland. In particular, in the Court of Appeal decision in the case of M.McK...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Irish Prison Service (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I have asked the Inspector of Prisons, Patricia Gilheaney, to carry out an investigation into recent allegations of surveillance and other wrongdoing in prisons to determine as far as possible the facts.  It should be noted that section 31(7) of the Prisons Act 2007 provides that Governors, other prison officers and other persons employed in prisons shall, as far as reasonably...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Transfers (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: This detailed Supreme Court judgement raised a number of complex issues about the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Acts and their administration. It indicated that legislative change is required to facilitate the process of transferring prisoners from other States - in particular the UK - to Ireland. My Department is at present finalising a draft...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Civilian Staff Data (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing An Garda Síochána including personnel matters, and I as Minister have no direct role in the matter. I am informed by the Commissioner that the specific information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and would take a disproportionate amount of staff time and resources to collate...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service Staff (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Acting Director General of the Irish Prison Service that employees can voluntarily apply for retirement on the grounds of ill health in the event that the Chief Medical Officer finds them incapable on medical grounds of regular and effective service, due to a current ongoing medical condition that is likely to be permanent.  This procedure is governed by the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service Data (11 Dec 2018)

Charles Flanagan: Matters relating to Injury Warrants come within the responsibility of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Civil Service Injury Warrants are a series of statutory instruments made under the Superannuation Acts. They provide additional benefits over and above normal pension entitlements, to or in respect of officers who, through no fault of their own, are killed or...