Results 10,181-10,200 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation has been received from the person referred to by the Deputy, who currently has permission to reside in the State until 10 June, 2015. My predecessor decided to defer a final decision on this application for 18 months. The person concerned was...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Human Rights Issues (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm that the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) recently submitted its report following its visit to Ireland in September, 2014. The Government now has a time-frame of six months to respond to the CPT on the findings contained in the report. It is expected that the report and proposed responses to the findings will...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that the person referred to by the Deputy was granted permission to travel to and reside in the State on the 4th February 2004 as the subject of an application for Family Reunification by his father. The person referred to by the Deputy should continue to register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau as the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Spent Convictions Legislation (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 346 and 351 together. Before the Spent Convictions Bill was enacted, a 2013 UK Court of Appeal judgment necessitated a review of the provisions in both the Spent Convictions Bill and the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012. That review has been completed and amendments to both pieces of legislation are currently being drafted. I...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Illegal Immigrants (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I refer the Deputy to my reply below to Parliamentary Question No. 12 of 2 April 2015. The position remains the same. At EU level, Member States, including Ireland, agreed back in 2008 that they would deal with regularisation only on a case by case basis and the Government continues to support this position. Ireland has shown itself to be a country that welcomes foreign nationals and this...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Irish Language (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Since 2006, with the commencement of its inaugural Irish Language Scheme, the Department of Justice and Equality has run 23 in-house Irish courses, both written and oral, tailored for members of staff. These courses were run, concurrently in some cases, by Gaeleagras, Gaelchultúrand the Institute of Public Administration, in the Department's offices in both Dublin and Killarney. In...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 349 and 350 together. I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the Public Appointments Service (PAS) is managing the recruitment process for the Garda Commissioner and I have no direct involvement in the matter. I understand however that 5,000 candidates (i.e. those in Band 1) were invited to take a subsequent battery of tests and of that...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Reunification Applications (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that correspondence issued to the person referred to by the Deputy on the 13th April 2015. The application will be processed upon receipt of the response from the applicant. The Deputy may wish to note that queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Misconduct Allegations (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The case to which the Deputy refers is amongst those being considered under the mechanism established for the independent review of certain allegations of Garda misconduct, or inadequacies in the investigation of certain allegations, which have been made to me as Minister for Justice and Equality, or the Taoiseach, with a view to determining to what extent and in what manner further action...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Operations (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 354 and 410 together. The Deputy will appreciate that it would not be the normal practice to comment on files maintained or held by An Garda Síochána in respect of any particular person or category of persons. However, I am assured by the Garda authorities that it is not the practice to create or maintain any records or files relating to Members...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Visa Numbers (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Details of the total number of short stay visas processed is set out below. Decisions regarding the grant/refusal of visas are made in a number of Irish Naturalisation and Immigration (INIS) Visa offices overseas, at the INIS Headquarters in Dublin and at embassies of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which process certain visa applications under delegated sanction from my...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Drugs Seizures (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to advise the Deputy that it has not been possible to provide the data sought in the time available for reply. However, I have requested the Garda authorities to provide the requested information and I will arrange for all available information to be forwarded to the Deputy upon receipt.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Oversight (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The chairperson designate has been advising me in relation to matters concerning the establishment of the Policing Authority and has been engaged in a series of familiarisation and introductory meetings with organisations, including visits to the Northern Ireland Policing Board and the Scottish Police Authority, and individuals relevant to the functions proposed for the Authority in the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Measures (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: Following its passage by both Houses of the Oireachtas and signature by the President, the Bill referred to by the Deputy has been enacted as the Garda Síochána (Amendment) Act 2015. This legislation is a key element of the Government's programme of justice reform and I intend to make an order to commence its provisions shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Misconduct Allegations (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will be aware I met with family members of the victim to whom the Deputy refers in his question and their legal representative to hear their concerns about aspects of the Garda investigation into the murder of their loved one and their call for an inquiry. The case in question was among those inquired into by the late Mr. Justice Henry Barron. I had a review of material...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Family Mediation Service (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 360 to 362, inclusive, and 367 together. I wish to advise the Deputies that the Family Mediation Service falls under the auspices of the Legal Aid Board which is independent in the exercise of its functions, in accordance with Section 3 (3) of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995. Furthermore, as Minister for Justice and Equality, I am not responsible or accountable...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Northern Ireland Issues (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I propose to take Questions Nos. 363 and 392 together. The troubles on this island exacted a tragic human cost in terms of the lives lost and the very many people injured and families bereaved by the many acts of violence over the course of what was a dark period in the history of this island. The human suffering inflicted by the many acts of violence, such as the bombings in Dublin in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Prevention (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: On 27 November, I published the General Scheme of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill. The General Scheme 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 the criminal law provisions of a number of EU, UN and Council of Europe legal instruments....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can inform the Deputy that the application has entered the final stage of processing and I intend to grant citizenship. The person concerned will be invited in due course to attend the next citizenship ceremony at which he will make a declaration of fidelity to the Irish Nation and loyalty to the State and receive his certificate of naturalisation. Queries in relation to the status...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Controls (15 Apr 2015)

Frances Fitzgerald: The aim in relation to language schools is to put in place an appropriate immigration regime to deal with applications from non-EEA students seeking permission to come to Ireland for the purpose of attending English language programmes. In that regard I, along with my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills, published a policy document in September 2014 for the operation of such...