Results 6,761-6,780 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Programme (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 387 and 388 together. Preliminary work is underway in my Department on the preparation of a Criminal Justice (Victims Rights) Bill. The Bill will strengthen the rights of victims of crime and their families and it will transpose the recently adopted EU Directive establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Accommodation Provision (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy may be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service. The Act provides that the Service is independent in the performance of its functions, including the provision of courthouse facilities. The Criminal Courts of Justice has separate waiting rooms for victims and their families in cases before...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Appointments to State Boards (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I will write to the Deputy when the information is at hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Stations Replacement (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The programme of replacement and refurbishment of Garda stations is based on accommodation priorities which are established by An Garda Síochána. The programme is advanced in close co-operation with the Office of Public Works, which has responsibility for the provision and maintenance of Garda accommodation. I have been advised by the Garda authorities that the purchase of a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Equipment (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I am informed that my Department has not been involved in research in relation to the use of polygraph equipment.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Programme for Government 2011-2016 undertakes to “establish independent regulation of the legal profession to improve access and competition, make legal costs more transparent and ensure adequate procedures for addressing consumer complaints”. These undertakings complement those structural reforms in the EU/IMF/ECB Troika Programme of Financial Support for Ireland aimed at...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy is aware, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to allow for the recovery of unpaid fines by the attachment of earnings. Last October, the Government approved the Scheme of a Fines (Amendment) Bill to give effect to this commitment and to make a number of other changes to the Fines Act 2010. I hope that it will be possible to publish the Fines (Amendment) Bill...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Committals (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service that the average cost of an available, staffed prison space is calculated each year for inclusion in the Service's Annual Report. The cost of an available, staffed prison space during 2011, which is the latest year for which a figure is available, was €65,359. The Prison Service does not collate the cost associated with...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Upward Only Rent Reviews (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: As I indicated in my reply to Questions Nos. 123 and 124 of 7 February, the Government has no plans to re-examine the decision not to proceed with legislation to abolish upward only rent review clauses in commercial leases. The Deputy will recall that, following extensive consideration of this matter, the Government announced in December 2011 that it had decided not to proceed with such...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Merger of State Bodies (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy is aware , the radical streamlining of State bodies is a key deliverable of the Public Service Reform Plan, published in November 2011. This streamlining included the rationalisation of 48 bodies by the end of 2012, as well as the critical review of a further 46 bodies to take place by the end of June 2012. Details of the bodies involved are set out in Appendices IIa and IIb of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Insolvency Act (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 757 of 16 January 2013, which indicated the following: "The Personal Insolvency Act 2012, was passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas on 19 December, 2012 and signed into law by the President on 26 December, 2012. The Act will be commenced in due course as the necessary preparations for administration of its provisions are...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I have been advised by the military authorities that it is a requirement for enlisted personnel to have passed their fitness test prior to being nominated for Overseas appointments by their unit. In the case referred to by the Deputy, I am advised that the individual had not passed his fitness test prior to the closing date for nominations for the overseas appointment he was seeking and as...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reserve Training (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I forwarded the material requested in Parliamentary Question 585 to the Deputy on Thursday, 28th February. The Reserve Defence Force (RDF) is currently undergoing a major re-organisation. This is consistent with the recommendations of the recently published VFM Review. The Military Authorities have advised me that training has been ongoing in all units of the RDF, including all units in...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reserve Strength (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The Defence Vote, like other areas of the public sector, has seen significant reductions in funding in recent years. This has reduced the levels of paid training that was available for members of the Reserve and recruitment to the Reserve was restricted accordingly. The recently published Value for Money Review of the Reserve Defence Force recommended the retention of a Reserve of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reserve Reorganisation (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: Arising out of the reorganisation of the Reserve Defence Force a schedule of briefings for personnel took place last month. The locations of these briefings were Mallow, Tralee, Limerick and Cork. These locations were set in consultation with the Officer’s Commanding of the extant units in order to maximise the numbers attending, and to minimise distances to be travelled by personnel,...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: Defence Forces General Routine Order No. 43 of 1955 prohibits serving personnel from communicating with members of the Oireachtas regarding service matters. Such matters should be dealt with through the chain of command or through the conciliation and arbitration scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force. In the circumstances, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Appointments to State Boards (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: The State Boards under the aegis of the Department of Defence when the Government took office were the Civil Defence Board, the Army Pensions Board and the Board of Coiste an Asgard. The Civil Defence Board was established in 2003. I appointed an interim Board as a temporary measure from 2011 and in this context none of the positions were advertised. The Civil Defence Board was identified...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reserve Reorganisation (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 406 to 408, inclusive, together. The Value for Money Review of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF), which was published in November 2012, made a broad range of recommendations aimed at ensuring the continued viability of the RDF into the future. I accepted these recommendations and subsequent proposals for a major re-organisation of the RDF, which were brought...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Deployment (5 Mar 2013)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 409 and 410 together. It was not possible to provide the information sought by the Deputy in the time available. My Department is currently seeking to compile an accurate reply and I will provide the information directly to the Deputy once it comes to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Croke Park Agreement Review (28 Feb 2013)

Alan Shatter: At a sectoral level, the Garda Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme provides a framework for discussions between Garda management, my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on the one hand and representatives of the Garda associations on the other hand. The scheme covers such issues as pay, allowances, terms and conditions and other matters. The scheme, which is...