Results 11,181-11,200 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Irish Prison Service that in June 2010, the then Director General commissioned an external operational report into the circumstances surrounding the removal of a person from the Dóchas Centre. A review of the operational report by the current Director General highlighted some legal and procedural flaws in the manner in which the enquiry was conducted. One such...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Inspector of Prisons Reports (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The functions of the Inspector of Prisons, including his or her reporting functions, are as set out in Part 5 of the Prisons Act 2007. There are no plans to amend this legislation.

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prisoner Complaints Procedures (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy is aware, a prisoner complaints system was introduced in November 2012 based on a model recommended by the late Inspector of Prisons, Judge Michael Reilly. The system is categorised according to the nature and seriousness of the complaint . This can range from the most serious 'Category A' complaint through to a 'Category D' complaint. A complaint in the 'A' category, such as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Visiting Committees Data (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 160 together. The Visiting Committee to each of the current 12 prisons or places of detention is appointed under the Prison (Visiting Committees) Act, 1925 and Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order, 1925. At present there are 54 Visiting Committee members. A per diem taxable payment of €142.50 per visit / meeting and vouched travel expenses of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: UN Conventions Ratification (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: Further to my reply to the Deputy's Parliamentary Question number 291 of 30 January 2018 regarding the ratification of the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) my Department has been consulting stakeholders in relation to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission's research into how OPCAT can be implemented in Ireland. In this regard, to date my Department...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that, in response to a notification pursuant to the provisions of Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), written representations have been submitted on behalf of the person concerned. These representations, together with all other information and documentation on file, will be fully...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: Following the commencement of the International Protection Act 2015 on 31 December 2016, new arrangements for the investigation and determination of applications for international protection (refugee status and subsidiary protection) and cases involving permission to remain in the State have been introduced. Such applications are now processed, as part of a single application procedure, by a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that an application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy was refused for reasons provided to the person concerned in a letter issued on 5 February 2018 advising of the decision. The person concerned currently has permission to reside in the State until 20...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Citizenship Applications (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the processing of the application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy is ongoing and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned was granted permission to remain in the State for a period of five years under the provisions of the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2006 on 28 October 2011. I am further informed that INIS notified the person concerned in writing on 16 February 2017...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The position remains as outlined in response to the Deputy's Parliamentary Question No. 139 of 18 January 2018. The records indicate that the person in question currently has permission to reside in the State until 12 September 2020. An application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person is currently being processed and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned currently has permission to remain in the State until 25 October 2018. This decision was conveyed to him by letter dated 7 October 2015. I am advised by the Citizenship Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that no application for a Certificate of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Immigration Status (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that an application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy has entered the final stage of processing. A letter issued to the person concerned on 08 August 2017 requesting him to submit the prescribed certificate fee and other documents. No further processing of the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: While An Garda Síochána has been testing Irish drivers for drugs, with the assistance of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS), since 1999, the Deputy will be aware that my Government colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, commenced the drug driving provisions in the Road Traffic Act 2016 on 13 April 2017. Key measures in the relevant legislation include the...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Training (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The Road Traffic Act 2016 provides members of An Garda Síochána with the power to require a driver to provide a sample of oral fluid. Devices have been sourced and provided to An Garda Síochána by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, which tests the sample provided for the presence of cocaine, cannabis, benzodiazepine and opiates. This test can be performed at the roadside...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences Data (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: While An Garda Síochána has been testing Irish drivers for drugs, with the assistance of the Medical Bureau of Road Safety (MBRS), since 1999, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport commenced the drug driving provisions in the Road Traffic Act 2016 on 13 April 2017. One of the key measures in the legislation provides for Preliminary Drug Testing, which now enables...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Recruitment (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Freedom of Information Data (8 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the following table: Year Number of Requests Number of decisions issued 2013 550 573 2014 920 864 2015 941 950 2016 583 591 2017 796 780 The number of decisions issued per annum includes a carryover of live cases from the previous year. Dealing with Freedom of Information requests is part of the daily work of staff across my Department...

Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: I am anxious to speak to the Deputy on the matter but I respect the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's position. Deputy Smyth put questions to me on this matter only yesterday. I thought I gave her the good news about Cavan-Monaghan, in so far as an increase in garda numbers is concerned.

Questions on Promised Legislation (7 Feb 2018)

Charles Flanagan: That will continue under this Government. There will shortly be 800 more gardaí, some of whom will be assigned to areas in Cavan-Monaghan. The Deputy will be aware that Cavan-Monaghan features strongly in the Garda building programme.