Results 7,801-7,820 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Crime Levels (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: There are four questions here so I will try to deal with each of them if the Leas-Cheann Comhairle allows it. In respect of Garda station closures, let me make the point that I understand the sense of security people get from having a Garda station in their area. Let us look at the crime figures. Garda analysts have done this work. A total of 41 Garda stations were closed in the west and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Crime Levels (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: One of the most significant initiatives taken is finishing the moratorium on Garda recruitment. The Deputy will have seen the advertisement this week for 600 new gardaí who will be recruited early next year. We have already received expressions of interest from thousands of people. I am looking forward to the initiative going ahead. It is very important that the moratorium on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Operations (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I emphasise for the Deputy that the characterisation of Operation Mizen as a surveillance operation is wrong. It was set up by the Garda to support national co-ordination of its management of water protests from a public order perspective. While there have been many lawful and peaceful protests against water charges, there have also been some very unfortunate examples of unacceptable and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Operations (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Garda is there to keep the peace. It carries out its normal activities as An Garda Síochána in this country in order to ensure that the protests are peaceful. A total of 188 arrests have been made since November 2014 in regard to water charge protests and within that number some individuals have been the subject of arrest on multiple occasions. The majority of arrests made...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Senators will recall that we inserted a new Part into the Bill relating to the powers of the authority to inspect premises and dwellings. The amendments in this group make some minor adjustments to these powers. Amendment No. 44 has been tabled on the advice of the Attorney General to ensure that an inspector may use reasonable force to enter a place in the exercise of his or her functions...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The work we have done on this section strengthens the provisions in the original Bill. It is based on the legislation concerning search warrants and money laundering.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is to deal with something in the original Bill, but there is a different situation now. It deletes the provisions relating to the ability of the authority to make regulations about interest on client moneys. This is being done to reflect the fact that the Law Society of Ireland will perform this role as part of its retained functions for the financial and compensation fund spheres....

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is a decision that was taken before I took over dealing with the Bill. The decision on the compensation fund was taken by the previous Minister and he took that decision for very good reasons. When the Bill was published originally, some of the detail of the work had clearly not been done. I have had a huge amount of detailed work to do in regard to the filling out of the various...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is the section where I accept the amendment proposed by Senator Sean D. Barrett to change the language from "may" to "shall" in regard to the new regulatory authority's discretion to make regulations requiring legal practitioners to main professional indemnity insurance. That is in amendment No. 54. Government amendment No. 51 makes additional provision to the section. It does this to...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Bill provides for legal partnerships. That is the reality. The Bill also has a strong section providing that no professional body can take any action that would interfere with the setting up of a partnership and cannot do anything that would be considered to be an interference with the setting up of such a practice. There are 100 barristers operating outside of the Bar Council. There...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: That is a description used by the Senator.The Bill provides a situation where no professional body can take action that would be seen to interfere with the setting up of a partnership. The Bar Council has its rules and I have taken constitutional advice regarding forcing membership onto the Bar Council.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: This series of amendments Nos. 61 to 65 are taken separately and are relevant to the numbering of the various paragraphs and subsections.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: These amendments are included to ensure a smooth transition to the new regulatory authority in regard to these issues and for clarity and consistency for the hand-over. Many amendments are improvements in the drafting. There are a lot of improvements in the drafting. The core of the amendments is to make crystal clear that all new complaints will go to the new authority after enactment....

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is a complex Bill and it has had a long run of amendments since it was published. It does engage complex legal and constitutional issues and it covers a very wide span; the inspection, the complaints, the new business models, the new office of the legal costs adjudicator, the charter, and powers for the new authority and the levy which the authority can impose. There has been much...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have not. I am recommending these amendments.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is to be inserted by amendment No. 52 on Committee Stage.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: It went in on Committee Stage.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I discussed that on Committee Stage. I have explained why it would be a decision arrived at by the Law Society. The phrase "the opinion of the Law Society" has been used because it will regulate the solicitors' accounts regulations.

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have said that it is a complex Bill. These are a series of amendments which are very much drafting improvements. There is no change whatsoever in the policy issue we discussed on Committee Stage. In fact, these are detailed amendments to improve the Bill from a drafting point of view, the drafter having taken a further look at the overall section. As I said, the purpose of the...

Seanad: Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report Stage (Resumed) (1 Dec 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: There are asterisks, footnotes and various other things, as the Senator will see when he reads the amendments.