Results 8,281-8,300 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Operations (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that, in addition to normal operational policing arrangements, a comprehensive policing strategy has been put in place to ensure that a sufficient Garda presence will be provided to police the upcoming OSCE conference on 5th December 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Judicial Pay (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 456 and 457 together. The Deputy may wish to note that my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform is responsible for the pay and pensions of the judiciary. Under Article 35.5 of the Constitution, a judge’s salary may not be reduced except in the specific circumstances approved in last year’s Referendum on Judges’ Pay....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Cross-Border Co-operation (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 458 and 459 together. The work of my Department in relation to North-South co-operation arises primarily in the context of criminal justice co-operation and is carried out across a range of Divisions in my Department depending on the nature of the work involved. I am and my officials are frequently and closely engaged with our counterparts in Northern...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Statistics (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 460 and 461 together. The Garda Síochána Act 2005 makes provision for the compilation and publication of crime statistics by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose. I have requested the CSO to provide statistics directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the personnel strength of each Garda station referred to by the Deputy on 31 December 2002 to 31 December 2011 and on 31 October 2012, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was as set out in the table hereunder: Year Naas Newbridge Athy Kildare Kilcock Maynooth Leixlip 31/12/02 78 28 16 29 6 14 24...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Traveller Community (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I refer to the reply to Question no 51492/2012 of 20 November 2012. Consideration of the question remains ongoing with a view to ensuring that full analysis of all aspects of the granting of ethnic status to Travellers is available to Government when coming to a decision on the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Personal Injuries Awards (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce legislation to facilitate courts making provision for structured settlements in circumstances where lump sums are currently awarded as a consequence of individuals suffering catastrophic injury because of the negligence of another. The successful operation of a statutory scheme for structured or periodic payments requires the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: As I previously advised the Deputy, the Courts Service has put in place arrangements to ensure that summonses issued since May 2012 include wording to advise persons charged with an offence under the Road Traffic Acts to bring their driving licence together with a photocopy of the licence when they are attending court. I am informed that the Courts Service has communicated with the judiciary...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Training (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that a total of 17 members have been trained in Evidential Breath Testing Training in November 2012. It is anticipated that approximately 60 Garda members will undertake this training in December 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Investigations (4 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 Hook Head. 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. I am...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Rights Issues (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy will be aware, I published the General Scheme of a Bill to replace the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission with a new Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on the 5th June, 2012. The independent Selection Panel set up to select new members of the Commission has commenced work on the selection process and last month invited applications from members of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Programme (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Government has undertaken in its Programme for Government to ensure that people of non-faith or minority religious backgrounds and publically identified LGBT people should not be deterred from training or taking up employment as teachers in the State. I have previously expressed concern about the potential impact of section 37 of the Employment Equality Acts on lesbian, gay, bisexual...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Court Procedures (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy may be aware, the Law Reform Commission is considering Jury Service as part of its Third Programme of Law Reform 2008 - 2014. The Commission has engaged in a wide ranging public consultation and I look forward to the publication of their final report and recommendations which I understand the Commission intends to complete in the first half of 2013. The High Court judgment in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy in September, 2009. The application is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Remuneration (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that overtime and unsocial hours allowances are paid to members of An Garda Síochána, up to and including the rank of Inspector. Members are paid these allowances on a 28 day roster basis, in arrears, with the payment process commencing at the beginning of each pay roster period in respect of work carried out during the previous period....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Detention Centres (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: As I have previously informed the House, the type of abuse outlined by the Inspector of Prisons in his report on St. Patrick's Institution is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The Deputy will be aware that following the publication of the Inspector's Report in October, I published the Irish Prison Service's Action plan for implementing the Inspector's recommendations. A new prisoner...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Detention Centres (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: I can assure the Deputy that I greatly valued the report prepared by the Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, last year following her discussions with young people detained in St Patrick's. Her work is much appreciated and she can be assured of my full support. My Department also appreciates the work of the Ombudsman for Children. Any issues relating to the health and welfare of children...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Support Services (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers in accordance with the Government policy of direct provision. Currently, RIA accommodates 4,822 asylum seekers at 35 accommodation centres throughout the State. I do not accept the premise of the question that persons residing in the Direct Provision system are in extreme...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Reorganisation (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Report of the VFM Review of the Reserve Defence Force, which was recently published, concluded that the current Reserve organisation required radical reform. The current effective strength of the Army Reserve and Naval Service Reserve at 4,500 personnel is less than half that for which the organisational structures were designed. The Permanent Defence Force (PDF) support framework for...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Capital Expenditure (4 Dec 2012)

Alan Shatter: The variance between profiled and actual expenditure to the end of October 2012 is largely due to some of the more significant projects in the capital building programme for this year not progressing as originally scheduled. This was mainly due to delays in projects arising from unforeseen additional works and also changes arising from the Defence Forces re-organisation and the...