Results 7,881-7,900 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reserve (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by the military authorities that the number of Reserve Defence Force (RDF) personnel that attend RDF training on a regular basis from the Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown, Newcastle, Rathcoole and Saggart catchment area is currently 32. These are the numbers of personnel who regularly attend training with A Company, 62 Infantry Battalion, the sub unit who’s catchment area...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: EU Battlegroups (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 and 26 together. The EU has the capability to deploy forces at high readiness, broadly based on the Battlegroup concept. The purpose of the EU Battlegroups is to provide a rapid level of response to developing international crises, allowing the EU to intervene during the critical early stages or to reinforce an existing operation. To date, no Battlegroup...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Six (6) members of the Permanent Defence Force are deployed in Syria as part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO). The Defence Forces have participated in UNTSO since 1958. Defence Forces personnel serving with this mission are based in Syria, Israel and Lebanon. The main functions of UNTSO are to maintain regional dialogue, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Overseas Missions (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Defence Forces are primarily deployed on overseas missions in support of international peace and security under UN mandates. On 20 December 2001, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1386 under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, authorising the establishment of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and there are fourteen UN Security Council...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reorganisation (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The re-organisation of the Reserve Defence Force is a key element of the response to the findings and recommendations of a Value for Money Review of the Reserve Defence Force, which was recently completed and published and which concluded that the current Reserve organisation was not fit for purpose and required radical reform. The central recommendation from the VFM Steering Committee is for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reorganisation (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: A major re-organisation of the PDF is underway since last July and is now at an advanced stage. In response to the findings of a Value for Money Review which was recently published, the Reserve Defence Force is also being reformed and re-organised. These changes will ensure that the Defence Forces organisational structures are configured to maximise required capabilities. In addition, the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State, rests with An Garda Síochána. However, one of the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence (2000) is to provide Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. A...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The monies received by the Department of Defence in respect of the provision by the Defence Forces of assistance to An Garda Siochána in protecting movements of cash for the past ten years are as follows: Year Amount Received Year Amount Received 2002 €2.86m 2007 €7.34m 2003 €2.86m 2008 €7.45m 2004 €3.86m 2009 €7.39m 2005 €6.03m...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Ombudsman (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: As I indicated in reply to Parliamentary Question No. 4 of 7 November 2012, the office of the Ombudsman is now well established and a number of administrative and systemic issues identified by the outgoing Ombudsman have been addressed. This has contributed to improvements in procedures and policies within the Defence Forces. Recent trends show a significant increase in the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Equipment (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The White Paper on Defence (2000) provides for a security role for the Naval Service and the Air Corps to support the civil authorities in this area and assistance in the prevention of drug smuggling is recognised as a very important part of their duties. Government measures to improve law enforcement in relation to drugs, including the establishment in 1993 of a Joint Task Force involving An...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Equipment (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will appreciate that the principle of competitive tendering for Government contracts has to be used by the Department of Defence for the acquisition of defensive equipment for the Defence Forces. Central to those procedures is the requirement to allow fair competition between suppliers through the submission of tenders following advertising of the tender competition on the...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service Vessels (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: There is a fleet of eight ships available to the Naval Service, seven of which are currently in operational service. In order to maintain maximum availability and serviceability, major maintenance for each vessel is planned in advance and is incorporated into an annual patrol plan for the Naval Fleet. LE Niamh is undergoing scheduled maintenance at present and will be back in service later...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Forensic Science (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that pathological, anthropological, carbon dating, geographic and investigative enquiries have been conducted in respect of the remains found off the south-east coast. Despite numerous attempts by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to extract DNA from the remains in an effort to generate DNA profiles, all attempts to date have proved unsuccessful. ...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Transport (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Decisions in relation to the provision and deployment of Garda vehicles are a matter, in the first instance, for the Garda Commissioner in the light of his identified operational requirements. At Garda Divisional level, it is for the Chief Superintendent to make appropriate arrangements for the distribution of vehicles throughout the Division in response to policing demands. The Deputy will...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Tribunals of Inquiry (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: Insofar as the report of the Moriarty Tribunal made recommendations concerning the future operation of tribunals of inquiry, many of these recommendations are anticipated by the Tribunals of Inquiry Bill 2005 which awaits Report Stage debate in the Dáil. Other recommendations are the subject of consultation with the Attorney General and other relevant Departments. I am informed by the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Transfers (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I can confirm to the Deputy that an application has been received from the individual referred to, for a transfer to a prison here under the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. The Deputy should be aware that any application for transfer under the Convention must be considered by both jurisdictions and only after the detailed exchange of information as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Training (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that in 2011, 91 Gardaí undertook the method of entry training course and in 2012, 32 Gardaí have undergone the method of entry training course to date (7 December 2012).

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that certificates of naturalisation were issued to the persons concerned on 26 August, 2011. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Courts Service (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998 management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service and I have no role in the matter. Section 4(3) of the 1998 Act provides that the Courts Service is independent in the performance of its functions, which includes the provision of statistics. However, in order to be of assistance to the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Contracts (12 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: My Department has entered into no new contracts for new externally delivered services since March 2011. For more information on external service delivery policy in the Justice and Equality sector, I refer the Deputy to the response (given below) to Parliamentary Question No. 334 on 11 December 2012. My Department is committed to achieving a focused and integrated approach to external service...