Results 10,761-10,780 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Asylum Applications: Asylum Applications (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: The person concerned and his family entered the State on 10 September, 2004 and lodged asylum applications. Their asylum applications were considered by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. Both bodies concluded that the persons concerned did not meet the criteria for recognition as refugees. Arising from the refusal of their respective...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: I have requested a report from the Garda authorities in relation to the matter referred to by the Deputy. I will contact the Deputy again when the report is to hand.

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: Under the Garda Síochána Acts 2005 - 2007, the Commissioner is required to submit, before November of each year, a policing plan for the forthcoming year. Any proposals for the closure of Garda stations or the altering of Regional or Divisional boundaries must be set out in the plan. The Policing Plan for 2013 has not yet been prepared and therefore it is not possible to say at this stage...

Written Answers — Personal Insolvency Bill: Personal Insolvency Bill (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Personal Insolvency Bill is currently being drafted by my Department in cooperation with the Office of the Attorney General and Parliamentary Counsel. This is a very lengthy and complex Bill from a legal standpoint, with proposed provisions which do not currently exist in Irish law. While it was hoped that the Bill would be published by 30 April, work on its development is still...

Written Answers — Closed Circuit Television Systems: Closed Circuit Television Systems (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that four Garda Stations currently have fully commissioned and operational internal Audio/Visual CCTV systems installed. The systems cover public areas and custody areas but cameras are not located in individual cells. Station No of Cameras Operational date Store Street 10 17/03/2005 Pearse Street 11 17/03/2005 Bridewell Prisoner custody area 31...

Written Answers — Inquiries into Garda Activities: Inquiries into Garda Activities (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: In its annual reports, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission publishes an analysis of allegations made against members of the Garda Síochána. Copies of each year's annual report are laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas. In the report for 2011, for example, which was published last week, this analysis gives details of the "allegation location", this being the physical place where...

Written Answers — Judicial Pay: Judicial Pay (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy may be aware that, following the decision of the People in the Referendum on the Twenty Ninth Amendment of the Constitution, the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Amendment) Act, 2011 was introduced by my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. That legislation, which was passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas and signed into law on 19th...

Written Answers — Personal Insolvency Bill: Personal Insolvency Bill (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will appreciate that as the Personal Insolvency Bill has yet to be published, it would neither be possible nor appropriate at this point for me to comment on any particular potential insolvency scenario that might arise. In any event the Deputy will have an opportunity to raise this matter during the debate on the Bill when it comes before the House in the very near future.

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 522 and 523 together. Recruitment to the Reserve Defence Force (RDF) is ongoing but limited due to resource constraints. The current budgetary provision provides for approximately 30,000 paid training mandays. In 2011 and 2012, I sanctioned paid training mandays to include support for the training of new recruits to the RDF. This was sufficient to train...

Written Answers — Military Archives: Military Archives (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: There were on average twenty one members of the public visiting the Archives per week in 2011. The Archive also received on average sixty phone calls and thirty five letters and emails per week in 2011. Following the launch of the website www.militaryarchives.ie in December 2011 the average number of emails has more than doubled while there has been a 30-40% increase in phone calls. The...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Reserve: Defence Forces Reserve (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: A Value for Money Review (VFM) of the Reserve Defence Force is ongoing and the recommendations arising from this review will inform future plans for the Reserve. The Steering Committee met most recently on the 6th June last, and drafting of the Review is continuing. I have asked the Steering Committee to progress the Review as quickly as possible and I anticipate its completion by the end...

Written Answers — Ministerial Transport: Ministerial Transport (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) is primarily provided by the Gulfstream IV and Learjet 45 aircraft, which were specifically acquired for that purpose. Whilst these aircraft are primarily used for the MATS, from time to time they are also assigned a range of military and other taskings including Air Ambulance missions, humanitarian operations and support for Search and Rescue,...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Review: Defence Forces Review (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Price Waterhouse Review of the Defence Forces was completed in 1994. It set out a range of options for the organisation of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) at differing strength levels. This did not include an option for a Permanent Defence Force strength of 9,500 personnel. Following the Price Waterhouse Review and the Defence Forces Review Implementation Plan (1996), a three...

Written Answers — Official Apology: Official Apology (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: I have no such plans.

Written Answers — State Agencies: State Agencies (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: The bodies under the aegis of my Department are the Army Pensions Board, the Civil Defence Board and the Board of Coiste an Asgard. In July 2011, the Government approved a proposal to begin drafting legislation to transfer the functions of the Civil Defence Board back into the Department of Defence. The Heads of the Civil Defence (Repeal) Bill were subsequently agreed by Government and the...

Written Answers — Official Pardon: Official Pardon (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am pleased to acknowledge the vital contribution made by the Irish Citizens who served in the Allied Forces during World War 11. From the remove of 2012 it is very hard to imagine the difficult decisions that people made when they consciously decided to leave Ireland to fight with the allied forces during the course of World War II. Despite the level of anti-British feeling that without...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Search Warrants) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: I will start by thanking Senators for addressing the Bill and for their substantial support of its provisions. In particular, I wish to thank Senator Power for her contribution on behalf of Fianna Fáil. I welcome the recognition given by all who spoke of the need for this important legislation to be passed with some speed. Senator Bradford said that the State is more peaceful today than...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Search Warrants) Bill 2012: Second Stage (19 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am pleased to present the Criminal Justice (Search Warrants) Bill 2012 to the House. This is a short Bill, but an important one. As its Title suggests, it concerns search warrants, an essential tool in the effective investigation of crime. The primary purpose of the Bill is to restore, in updated form, the search warrant provision in section 29 of the Offences against the State Act 1939,...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (14 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: I would refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 353 of 7 February, 2012, which was as follows: "The reform of personal insolvency law, the Heads of Bill which I have published, will involve the introduction of three new non-judicial debt settlement systems, subject to relevant conditions in each case. These are as follows: · A Debt Relief Certificate to allow for the full write-off of...

Written Answers — Garda Transport: Garda Transport (14 Jun 2012)

Alan Shatter: The provision and allocation of Garda vehicles is a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the context of his identified policing priorities. At Divisional level responsibility for the efficient deployment of Garda vehicles is assigned to the Divisional Officer, who may allocate vehicles between Districts on the basis of operational requirements. I am informed by the Garda authorities that...