Results 9,901-9,920 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Process (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Before the Bill could be enacted, a 2013 UK Court of Appeal judgment necessitated a review of the disclosure provisions in both the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 and the Spent Convictions Bill. That review has been completed and amendments to the Vetting Act and consequential amendments to the Spent Convictions Bill are currently being drafted. I intend...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Operations (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 389 and 391 together. I am, of course, aware of the issues referred to concerning threats made against members of the Garda Síochána, which I utterly condemn. As the Deputy is aware, it would not be appropriate for me to detail the operational measures that the Garda authorities have taken or would take generally in the these situations....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Property Registration Authority (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can inform the Deputy that under the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006, the Property Registration Authority (PRA) was established as and from 4 November 2006. The PRA replaces the Registrar of Deeds and Titles as the registering authority in relation to property registration in Ireland and, subject to the above Act, is independent in the performance of its functions. The Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am aware of the commentary to which the Deputy refers concerning the deployment of Garda resources to police certain protests against the installation of water meters. I share the recently expressed views of the Garda representative bodies about the unfortunate necessity to have to divert Garda resources to police water meter protests when those resources could be used for other policing...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Equipment (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by An Garda Síochána that Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is an in-car camera system installed in selected Garda vehicles and used to read vehicle registration plates and to check them against various databases. It is employed by An Garda Síochána to support a wide range of roads and other policing functions, including detection of stolen and...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Independent Working Group to report to Government on what improvements should be made to the protection process, including Direct Provision and supports for asylum seekers, was set up in October 2014. The Working Group is chaired by former High Court Judge, Dr. Bryan McMahon and its membership is drawn from a range of interests in the international protection area including, UNHCR, non...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: On 27 November, I published the General Scheme of a Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill which includes two new offences of purchasing, in the context of prostitution, sexual services. The first is a general offence of purchasing sexual services which carries a penalty of a fine of up to €500 for a first offence and fines of up to €1000 for a second or subsequent offence. The...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Staff (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Mr Simon O'Brien resigned from his position as Chairperson of GSOC on 30 January 2015. With regard to the vacancy that arose on foot of Mr O’Brien’s resignation, I should first of all say that the 2005 Act provides for a situation where a member of GSOC has resigned his or her position, and permits GSOC to act notwithstanding the vacancy. The appointment of members of GSOC...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Asylum Applications (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: If the person whose details were supplied has made an application for asylum or subsidiary protection, the Deputy will be aware that it is not the practice to comment on such applications for so long as they remain in the protection process.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: On 27 November, I published the General Scheme of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill. The Bill will provide for new offences of purchasing, in the context of prostitution, sexual services. It also includes wide ranging provisions to enhance the protection of children and vulnerable persons from sexual abuse and exploitation. When enacted, the Bill will facilitate full compliance with...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Commencement of Legislation (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I indicated in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 103 of 23 April 2015, "[...] section 1 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 provides for the commencement of different Parts of the Act by different Ministers, because the Act addresses policy responsibilities of several different Ministers. My Department is working on an implementation plan for those areas which I will...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legal Aid (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to inform the Deputy that the Civil Legal Aid Regulations were last amended in September 2013 as a result of a review of the financial eligibility criteria and the current disposable capital limit was then set at €100,000 under the Civil Legal Aid Regulations 2013 (SI No 346 of 2013). The disposable income limit was last set at €18,000 under the Civil Legal Aid...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Credit Review Office Remit (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Statement of Government Priorities 2014-2016 provided for a review of the personal insolvency legislation, to ensure that it can work effectively to support those who are struggling with unsustainable debt, including mortgage arrears. The Government is considering a range of proposals to address these issues, and I am currently engaging with Ministerial colleagues regarding possible...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Irish Prison Service (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Following a competitive tender in 2014, Chubb Ireland was awarded the contract for the supply of electronic monitoring of prisoners for the Irish Prison Service. The annual cost of the contract will depend on the number of prisoners who are monitored throughout the course of the year. It is expected that the average monthly costs of the contract will be in the region of €9,500...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Proposed Legislation (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 9 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990 confirms that the failure to offer resistance does not amount to consent. Otherwise, the issue of what is or is not consent has been developed through case law. The courts have confirmed that consent requires voluntary agreement by a person at the age of consent and with the necessary mental capacity. "Knowledge or understanding of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will be aware that the first intake since 2009 of 100 new recruits entered training at the Garda College, Templemore, on 15 September 2014. As part of Budget 2015, a further intake of 200 recruits in two batches was announced. On 15 December 2014, the first 100 of these batches commenced their training. The remaining 100 entered the college in early February. This will bring to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Misconduct Allegations (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy is aware, a panel consisting of two senior and five junior counsel, all selected on the basis of their experience of the criminal justice system, was established to consider the allegations of Garda misconduct which had been submitted to my Department, to the Office of the Taoiseach and a number of other public representatives. The review in each case consists of an...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Bodies (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to advise the Deputy that the details (since 2011) of the merger, reform or abolition of Agencies/associated bodies under the remit of my Department are outlined below. Legal Aid Board Responsibility for the administration of three ad-hoc Criminal Legal Aid Schemes was transferred to the Legal Aid Board. Garda Station Legal Advice Scheme The Scheme provides that where a person is...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Vacancies on State Boards (12 May 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Name of Board Number of Vacancies Chair/Member When vacancy arose/will arise Appointment Process Property Registration Authority 2 Members 27 May, 2015 4 August, 2015 (i) Nominated by Bar Council (ii) Nominated by Law Society (both nominations in accordance with Section 11 of the Registration of Deeds and...