Results 7,581-7,600 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tribunals of Inquiry Reports (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I do not disagree with anything Deputy Smith said and I look forward to an opportunity for a more comprehensive debate on the report over the coming days. Deputy Smith will be aware the Government appointed a new Garda Commissioner who took up his position at the start of September. I very much welcome the initial response of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to the tribunal report. It gives...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tribunals of Inquiry Reports (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: Deputy Smith makes a point in regard to oversight and general accountability. It is fair to say the proposals in the report on the oversight architecture are perhaps the most far-reaching contained in the entire report. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland approached that issue by separating governance, oversight and accountability. Its proposed solution is the setting up of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tribunals of Inquiry Reports (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I do not accept that at all. Let me make it clear that there can absolutely no ambiguity about the findings of the report. Mr. Justice Charleton does not mince his words. It is very clear about where serious failings took place, how they were allowed to happen and who allowed them to happen. These findings make very stark reading and we all owe a debt of gratitude to Sergeant Maurice...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tribunals of Inquiry Reports (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I agree oversight and scrutiny are very important so this culture change within An Garda Síochána needs to happen. I intend proceeding with the appointment of an independent chair to oversee the implementation of the 50 recommendations in the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. In order to be implemented, they will require a number of pieces of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am both disappointed and concerned that despite intensive negotiations involving the EU and UK negotiating teams in recent days, it has not been possible to make the decisive progress that is urgently needed. I assure the House again that we are not contemplating a so-called hard border. Our resolve is to ensure that the invisible Border between North and South remains. As far as...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: For the benefit of the House, I again refer to the increased budgetary allocation to enable the Garda recruitment drive to continue for next year, with up to 800 new recruits. Allowing for the retirement of approximately 300 gardaí, that will see a net intake of ambitious, energetic and highly qualified gardaí to the order of approximately 500. Deputy O'Callaghan was somewhat...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Tribunals of Inquiry Reports (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The findings and conclusions of the disclosures tribunal third interim report are stark. The central conclusion that it reached is that a man who rightly saw loyalty to the people whom he served as superior to any loyalty to the organisation of which he was part, a man who at all times had the interests of the public uppermost in his mind, had to endure a campaign of calumny by those who...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Brexit Issues (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Coveney, is co-ordinating what is a whole-of-government response to Brexit. In this capacity, he is working closely with all Ministers, including me, to address in a joined-up manner the many challenges Brexit will present. I emphasise that it is the Government’s firm intention...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sexual Offences Data (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The answer is "yes". Both I and the Government are committed to preventing and addressing sexual violence in Ireland. It is extremely important to me but, more important, to victims of this violence that policy must be effective, driven by accurate, up to date, reliable data. Knowledge and information are essential to making effective policies to prevent and combat sexual violence. ...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sexual Offences Data (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I do not disagree with any of the Deputy's remarks. I wish to assure him of both my efforts and my action in this regard. Since the scoping group submitted its report to me in April a significant amount of work has been undertaken by officials in my Department on issues around the survey methodology, ethical considerations, the feasibility around periodic data collection over time, and data...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Sexual Offences Data (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: Again, I must agree. It is important for the formulation of any policy issues or legislation that evidence is available in the form of the type of data furnished in the 2002 SAVI report. I am keen to ensure that we proceed to formally set the process for a SAVI 2 under way. In that, I acknowledge the work of many stakeholders to date and look forward to continuing a positive engagement...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Commission on the Future of Policing Reports (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The Commission on the Future of Policing published its report on 18 September and set out a wide range of principles and innovative proposals aimed at empowering the Garda Commissioner to ensure more effective management of the Garda organisation; strengthening our national security arrangements; supporting the governance of the Garda organisation through the introduction of a Board and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of Garda personnel among the various Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Victim Support Services (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: A review of the protections for vulnerable witnesses in the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences is under way. The review will examine the adequacy of the mechanisms available in law and practice to protect and support victims of sexual violence through the judicial process. This will include practical supports for vulnerable witnesses through the reporting, investigation and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Racial Profiling (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I have been assured by An Garda Síochána that they are acutely aware that migration should be managed in a way which protects human rights, recognising relevant constitutional and international obligations in this area. In this regard, I have been advised that relevant personnel within An Garda Síochána and Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), in particular, are...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reform (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy is aware that the proposed structural reform of the Department involves a radical overhaul of how the Department operates. Developing this level of structural and organisational change, particularly while progressing existing Government priorities, will require considerable investment in specialist expertise and support. A procurement process is underway to obtain the required...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Training (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that An Garda Síochána has in place an interagency response to assist people with mental health issues and there is a Memorandum of Understanding between the Health Service Executive (HSE) and An Garda Síochána which sets out procedure for Gardaí in dealing with mental health incidents. The purpose of this Memorandum is to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Divisional Headquarters (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to An Garda Síochána, including responsibility for the formulation of proposals in relation to the opening and closing of Garda stations, taking into account crime trends and policing priorities. Further, the programme of replacement and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Transfers (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Acts 1995 and 1997 give effect to the Convention of the Transfer of Sentenced Persons 1983. The Convention recognises that international co-operation in criminal law should further the ends of justice and social rehabilitation of prisoners and that this may be best achieved by having them transferred to serve their sentences in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (17 Oct 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be 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 and civilian staff. The Deputy will be aware An Garda Síochána is currently undertaking a programme of accelerated...