Results 10,921-10,940 of 18,729 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have been informed by the Garda authorities, which are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the personnel strength, all ranks, of the Garda Síochána on 31 December 1997 was 10,702 and on 20 March 2006 was 12,445. Therefore, the personnel strength of the Garda increased by 1,743, or 16.3%, during that period. I have been further informed that the...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the following table outlines the total number of headline offences, by group, recorded and detected in the Garda division of Sligo-Leitrim between 2000 and 2005, inclusive. The introduction of the PULSE computer system by the Garda in 1999 has led to more complete and comprehensive recording of the crimes which are reported. Therefore, the...

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have been informed by the Garda authorities, which are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the personnel strength, all ranks, of the Garda Síochána on 31 December 1997 was 10,702 and on 20 March 2006 was 12,445. Therefore, the personnel strength of the Garda increased by 1,743, or 16.3%, during that period. I have been further informed that the...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the following table outlines the total number of headline offences, by group, recorded and detected in the Garda division of Donegal between 2000 and 2005, inclusive. The introduction of the PULSE computer system by the Garda in 1999 has led to more complete and comprehensive recording of the crimes which are reported. Therefore, the...

Written Answers — Equal Opportunities Employment: Equal Opportunities Employment (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is fully committed to the employment of people with disabilities, where possible. Its policy is to ensure that people with disabilities are facilitated with access to employment opportunities and that every necessary accommodation is made in this regard. To that end, the Department has a disability liaison officer whose role is to act as a...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the figure 211,928, provided in response to Question No. 658 of 18 October 2005, relates to speeding detections for all classes of vehicles as supplied by each divisional officer. I am further informed that the figure of 161,192 provided in response to Question No. 477 of 31 January 2006, relates to detections of speeding cars only. Further details...

Written Answers — Refugee Status: Refugee Status (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: The persons concerned arrived in the State on 15 April 2005 and applied for asylum. Their application was refused following consideration of their case by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, by the Office of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. The persons concerned were informed, by letter dated 12 August 2005, that the Minister proposed to make deportation orders in...

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: The Garda central vetting unit, GCVU, was established in 2002 and currently processes vetting requests in respect, inter alia, of prospective full-time employees of the Health Service Executive and certain agencies funded by it, as well as in respect of selected employments in other sectors. In 2004, an inter-agency working group on Garda vetting reported with a clear and focused strategy for...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: A traffic corps, headed by an assistant commissioner, was established within the Garda Síochána in November 2004. The number of gardaí assigned exclusively to traffic duties is increasing dramatically — from approximately 530 members of the traffic corps in 2004 to 803 in 2006, 1030 in 2007 and 1,200 in 2008. Some 240 additional gardaí will join the corps in the course of 2006. I am...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: An application for permission to remain in the State based on marriage to an Irish national was received from the person concerned in October 2005. Applications of this type, in fairness to all other such applicants, are dealt with in strict chronological order and currently take approximately 16 months to process. It should be noted that marriage to an Irish national does not confer an...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: The applications referred to by the Deputy were received in the visa office on 11 August 2005. The decision of the visa officer to refuse these applications was made on 18 August 2005. The applications were refused because the visa officer was not satisfied that the applicant had sufficient financial resources to support his family. The visa officer was not satisfied that there would be no...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: It is the responsibility of the Garda Síochána to put in place appropriate and proportionate operational policing plans for rallies, parades and similar events in the public arena. A comprehensive policing plan was prepared and put in place ahead of the so-called Love Ulster demonstration which took place in Dublin on 25 February 2006, based on all information then available to the Garda...

Written Answers — Garda Equipment: Garda Equipment (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: E-mail facilities are currently available to all gardaí from superintendent rank and above and this allows for e-mail correspondence with members of the public where appropriate. Access to e-mail is also provided to other individual members of the Garda Síochána where required, based on operational needs. I am advised by the Garda authorities that the Garda Síochána information and...

Written Answers — Registration of Title: Registration of Title (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I wish to inform the Deputy that I have requested the Land Registry to contact him directly concerning the current position of the application in question. I understand that in circumstances where the completion of an application in a particular case is urgent, the Land Registry will make every reasonable effort to facilitate such requests on receipt of a written explanation as to the reason...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I informed the Deputy in response to Parliamentary Question No. 552 on 21 February 2006 that it was likely that the application of the person concerned would be finalised in or around the end of 2007. That is still the position.

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 454 and 455 together. The witness security programme was established in 1997 in response to the activities of organised criminal gangs to facilitate those persons who are prepared to give evidence against alleged offenders. The programme continues to operate under the direct control and administration of the Garda Commissioner. It is not the practice and it...

Written Answers — Law on Perjury: Law on Perjury (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: Perjury, that is, the giving of false evidence on oath or affirmation, is an offence at common law, although a number of statutes also address matters incidental to the offence. The offence is committed by any person lawfully sworn as a witness or as an interpreter in a judicial proceeding who wilfully makes a statement, material in that proceeding, which he or she knows to be false or does...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: While there are general claims of under reporting of crime, there is no evidence that the level of under reporting now is any greater than in the past, or that the proportion of unreported crime in Ireland is any greater than in other jurisdictions. The problems of unreported and unrecorded crime are well documented in the international criminological literature, and are in no way unique to...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (4 Apr 2006)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that gender is recorded as male or female and there are currently no plans in place to capture additional information on gender status. I am further informed that a number of gardaí have received special familiarisation training and were appointed as liaison officers to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, GLBT. The Garda authorities...

Written Answers — Garda Stations: Garda Stations (30 Mar 2006)

Michael McDowell: I have been informed by the Garda authorities that there are no plans for the construction of a new Garda station in the Knocklyon area of County Dublin. As part of the ongoing Garda building programme the position with regard to Garda stations in south County Dublin is as follows: at Dundrum, the Office of Public Works is seeking a site to construct a new Garda station; at Kill O' the...