Results 7,581-7,600 of 10,226 for speaker:Jim O'Callaghan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Interim Report on Review of Youth Referrals: An Garda Síochána (13 Feb 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: The youth diversion programme is a very good scheme and it should be promoted and encouraged. What is disturbing is the question mark over parts of it. I am sure it is the wish of the committee that the scheme continues because if we can get a child off the path of criminality at an early stage we will save society, that child and victims of crime in the long term. If we do not we will...

Criminal Law (Extraterritorial Jurisdiction) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second Stage (12 Feb 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. Fianna Fáil will be supporting its provisions and we hope to see it pass as quickly as possible. As the Minister of State indicated, the catalyst for the introduction of this legislation is the Istanbul Convention. It is important that we enact this legislation so that we can ratify that convention, which was signed in May of 2011....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Inspector of Prisons (12 Feb 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 286. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the staffing complement of the Inspector of Prisons; the staffing level deemed necessary; if requests for additional funding to increase staff numbers have been made in 2018 or to date in 2019; if so, the result of such requests; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6268/19]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Equipment (7 Feb 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 138. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the estimated cost of the roll-out of body cameras for all gardaí; if he has received such a request from the Garda Commissioner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6189/19]

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Home Loan Scheme (5 Feb 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 654. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if consideration will be given to amending the Rebuilding Ireland home loan scheme in order that persons that previously owned property but lost it during the financial downturn could be considered as eligible for such loans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5134/19]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (31 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 105. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when a person (details supplied) will be given a determination in respect of a citizenship application made in August 2016. [4886/19]

Juvenile Crime: Motion [Private Members] (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank all the Deputies who contributed to this debate, which has been a very good one. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to read the countermotion put forward by the Government. I will read it carefully and if it can be agreed, it will be. However, I will need to defer that decision until tomorrow because I have not read it. Although this debate started because of the recent...

Juvenile Crime: Motion [Private Members] (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I move:That Dáil Éireann: notes that:- a review of the Garda Youth Diversion Office (GYDO) recently carried out by An Garda Síochána has identified serious failings within the Garda Youth Diversion Programme (GYDP); - the review examined 158,521 youth referrals, relating to 57,386 individual children, which were created on the Police Using Leading Systems Effectively...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Conventions (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 37. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to ratify the Budapest convention and the Lanzarote convention; the timeline for the ratification of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4179/19]

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Conventions (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: Ireland signed the Budapest convention on cybercrime in 2001 and the Lanzarote convention, which deals with the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, in 2007. When will the Minister ratify them?

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Conventions (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: The online sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children is one of the most serious issues that any country can face. I am sure the Minister will appreciate that we cannot deal with on our own. It is an international problem and needs to be dealt with through international co-operation. That was the reason why the Council of Europe came up with these two conventions. The Budapest...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: International Conventions (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I hope I am not being unfair but based on what the Minister said, I take it that it is hoped that the Government will ratify these conventions this year. If that is so, it is to be welcomed, notwithstanding the fact that they should have been ratified a long time ago. We must recognise that international attention in this regard will focus on Ireland in due course. We have managed to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Civil Partnership Legislation (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 32. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his views on the ruling that the prohibition on testifying against a spouse extends only to married couples and not to civil partnerships or other forms of relationship; the actions he will take to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4428/19]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Civil Partnership Legislation (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I am very aware of the ruling. A decision of the Court of Appeal made two weeks ago threw up a very interesting point for the Legislature. I do not want to deal with the details of the case but it concerned the rule that a spouse cannot be a compellable witness in a criminal trial. The argument made was whether it applied to people in civil partnerships or cohabiting people. The Court of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Civil Partnership Legislation (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: I thank the Minister for his reply. This is obviously a complicated issue. To try to simplify the law as it stands, under the Criminal Evidence Act 1992, a spouse is not a comparable witness except in circumstances where an offence has been committed against that spouse, a child or a person under 17 years of age. The reason it is of significance to the Oireachtas is we now find ourselves...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Civil Partnership Legislation (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: Another way of looking at it would be that we need to question whether there is a necessity to maintain the marital privilege provision, as the Minister refers to it. The Minister has a concern and the advice of a former Attorney General was that applying it to others in civil partnerships could create constitutional difficulties but perhaps consideration should be given to the existence of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: Youth justice is an extremely important matter and I am pleased to hear the Minister of State say he has responsibility for it. Sometimes, it falls between the two stools of the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs and Justice and Equality, respectively. We must recognise that it was not just the children who were not referred to the youth diversion programme who were failed, it was...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: 30. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of serious offences which were not addressed as a result of administrative error or as a result of Garda negligence within Garda youth diversion projects; the actions that will be taken with regard to the cases; the additional oversight of the projects required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4427/19]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Minister of State will be aware that An Garda Síochána made an announcement a couple of weeks ago about a review it had carried out on the Garda youth diversion programme. The announcement indicated that there were a number of significant concerns about the programme. It showed that many children who were arrested or apprehended were not referred to the youth diversion...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Garda Youth Diversion Projects (30 Jan 2019)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Minister of State will agree that dealing with criminal activity by children is a serious issue. Unless children can be deterred and diverted from criminal activity by the time they reach 18 years of age, there is a strong likelihood they will continue on a criminal path. The Children Act was introduced in 2001 and it established the juvenile diversion programme, which has worked very...