Results 10,581-10,600 of 16,537 for speaker:Brian Lenihan Jnr

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Government Legislative Programme published on 1 April 2008 provides for publication of the Property Services Regulatory Authority Bill during the current Dail session. The position regarding property management companies is that the Law Reform Commission published a Consultation Paper on Multi-Unit Developments in December 2006 which identified problems relating to the structure and...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy will be aware that the Government's Legislative Programme includes a proposed Criminal Law (Defence of Life and Property) Bill, the drafting of which the previous Government approved in March 2007. The Deputy may also be aware that this important issue is currently being examined by the Law Reform Commission as part of its consideration of the issue of defences generally, in the...

Written Answers — Garda Equipment: Garda Equipment (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21 and 43 together. Following the completion of a pilot Digital Radio project by the Garda authorities, a decision was taken to procure a single nationwide digital radio service for use by the Garda authorities, other emergency services and non-commercial State bodies. This enables economies of scale as well as allowing for inter-agency communication in the...

Written Answers — Criminal Prosecutions: Criminal Prosecutions (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Following the submission in 2004 of a report and recommendations by an expert group on crime statistics, it was decided that the compilation and publication of crime statistics should be taken over by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, from the Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána Act 2005 consequently makes provision for this and the CSO has established a...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 89 together. The Garda will continue to police Limerick to meet the challenges posed by the activities of gangs and organised crime. The Commissioner is adopting a hard policing approach and has deployed a unit from the Emergency Response Unit on a 24 hour basis. The ERU team is under the supervision of local Garda management and is operating through...

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As of 31 March 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 674 members of the Garda Síochána assigned to community policing. This represents 4.84% of the total strength of the Force of 13,900 on that date. These figures are broken down by Division in the following table. The Deputy will appreciate that, as with any large organisation, on any given day the...

Written Answers — Drugs in Prisons: Drugs in Prisons (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: A wide range of security measures are currently in place aimed at reducing the supply of contraband, including drugs, into our prisons. These measures include: Tighter control and monitoring of prisoner visits in all closed prisons; New visiting arrangements in most closed prisons, with visitors required to be pre-approved by the Governor and required to provide identification on each visit;...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the approximate total cost of Garda policing arrangements at Shannon Airport on 6 April, 2008, in respect of the planned possible stopover by the US President was €151,921, which includes salaries and overtime payments. In this regard, the Garda Síochána is statutorily required to provide policing services for the State with the aim of...

Written Answers — Organised Crime: Organised Crime (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I am informed by the Garda Authorities that organised criminal gangs operating in this jurisdiction are being targeted on an ongoing basis. The profiles of those suspected of involvement in criminal gangs are continually updated. The membership of criminal gangs, their operating methods, criminal interests and financial assets are likewise proactively targeted. The Garda response to this...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 550 together. I refer the Deputies to my answer to Question No. 11 of today's date.

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: In March 2007 responsibility for children detention schools was transferred from the aegis of the Department of Education and Science to my Department. Children Detention Schools accept children who have been ordered to be detained as part of criminal proceedings before the Courts. The Children Detention Schools provide rehabilitative programmes of care, education and training for children...

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: My colleague, the Minister for Children, Mr. Brendan Smith T.D., recently announced the Government's decision to develop new children detention facilities on a State owned site at Oberstown, Lusk, Co. Dublin, which currently houses 3 of the 4 existing children detention schools. The new facilities, which are being developed by the Irish Youth Justice Service of my Department, will replace...

Written Answers — Criminal Assets Bureau: Criminal Assets Bureau (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Deputy will be aware that the Criminal Assets Bureau has been at the forefront of the fight against organised crime, including drug trafficking, in this jurisdiction since its inception in 1996. The significant successes that the Bureau continues to achieve by its operations demonstrates the effectiveness of its approach in pursuing illegally gotten gains. The manner in which the Bureau...

Written Answers — Criminal Prosecutions: Criminal Prosecutions (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 was commenced with effect from 1 August 2006. The relevant order is the Criminal Justice Act 2006 (Commencement) Order 2006 (S.I. No. 390 of 2006). Section 72 creates the offence of contributing to, or participation in, an activity of a criminal organisation. The intention behind the contribution must be to enhance the ability of, or facilitate...

Written Answers — Victims Commission: Victims Commission (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As the Deputy may already be aware against a background of a need to review the mechanisms and services put in place by specific agencies to assist victims of crime, my predecessor established the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime (CSVC) in March 2005. The CSVC was established with a three year remit to disburse funding for victim support measures and to develop a framework for...

Written Answers — Garda Reserve: Garda Reserve (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: There are a range of reasons not all applicants secure a place as Reserve trainees. It must always be borne in mind that membership of the Reserve is a spare-time voluntary service and so applicants may not always be available to attend for interview or take up a place in training when it is first offered due to family, work or social commitments. Applicants must first of all meet the...

Written Answers — Irish Prison Service: Irish Prison Service (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The Report of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), on its visit to Ireland was published on 10 October 2007, together with the response of the Government of Ireland to the issues raised by the CPT in that report. In its response to the issues raised, the Government set out in considerable detail the efforts made to deal with the...

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: The accelerated intake of 1,100 Garda recruits per annum is on course to meet the Government's recruitment target. The personnel strength (all ranks) of An Garda Síochána on 31 May 2007 was 13,140 with a further 1,349 recruits in training making a combined strength of 14,489. As of 31 March 2008, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 13,900 fully attested...

Written Answers — Organised Crime: Organised Crime (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: I refer the Deputy to my answer to Question No. 13 of today's date.

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (17 Apr 2008)

Brian Lenihan Jnr: As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda authorities established an Organised Crime Unit on a temporary basis in November 2005 to target organised criminal gangs. The Garda Commissioner has now established the Unit on a permanent basis with a complement of seventy. A review of its activities and strength is ongoing. Since its establishment, the Organised Crime Unit has pro-actively targeted...