Results 11,261-11,280 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Personal Insolvency Bill: Personal Insolvency Bill (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Personal Insolvency Bill, the Heads of which I published on 25 January 2012, introduces a number of new non-judicial debt settlement systems. One of those systems - the Debt Relief Certificate (DRC) - provides for the writing-off of debt where debtors with no assets and no income may be unable to meet qualifying debts totalling not more than €20,000. The purpose is to create an...

Written Answers — Personal Insolvency Bill: Personal Insolvency Bill (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 to 125, inclusive, together. The Personal Insolvency Bill, the Heads of which I published on 25 January 2012, introduces a number of new non-judicial debt settlement systems. Two of the proposed arrangements - Debt Settlement Arrangement and the Personal Insolvency Arrangement - require the involvement of a Personal Insolvency Trustee. The intention is...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the visa application referred to was approved on the 4 May 2012. Queries in relation to general immigration matters may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek...

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (10 May 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 Reports: Garda Reports (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I expect that the 2011 Annual Report of An Garda Síochána will be published shortly. I will arrange to have the report laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas as provided for in the Garda Síochána Act.

Written Answers — Legal Aid Service: Legal Aid Service (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Legal Aid Board is a statutory, independent body in accordance with the Civil Legal Aid Act, 1995. The matters raised by the Deputy are a matter for the Board. However, in order to be helpful to the Deputy I have had enquiries made with the Board. I wish to inform the Deputy that I acknowledge that waiting times for the law centre in question as well as other law centres have increased...

Written Answers — Personal Insolvency Bill: Personal Insolvency Bill (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Personal Insolvency Bill, the Heads of which I published on 25 January 2012, introduces a number of new non-judicial debt settlement systems. One of those systems - the Debt Relief Certificate (DRC) - provides for the writing-off of debt where debtors with no assets and no income may be unable to meet qualifying debts totalling not more than €20,000. The purpose is to create an...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 131 and 132 together. The company to which the Deputy refers brought proceedings to the European Court of Human Rights and obtained a ruling against Ireland in September 2011 in respect of its claim regarding a breach of the reasonable time requirement of Article 6(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Court made an award to the plaintiff in...

Written Answers — Garda Vetting Service: Garda Vetting Service (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy may be aware, the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) provides employment vetting for over 19,000 organisations in Ireland who are registered with the Gardaí for this purpose and which employ/engage persons in a full-time, part-time, voluntary or training capacity to positions where they would have substantial, unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults. Garda...

Written Answers — Garda Communications: Garda Communications (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I understand from the Garda authorities that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources launched a national pilot of a new 112 SMS service in January 2012. This facility enables members of the public to text requesting the assistance of an emergency service and it is available to anyone who registers for the service. An Garda Síochána are participating fully in the...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: Policy in the law on defamation is contained in the Defamation Act 2009 as approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas. Under the Act, the tort of defamation consists of the publication, by any means, of a defamatory statement concerning a person to one or more than one person; and a statement includes electronic communication that is in the form of data, text or images.

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 137 together. The Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS) is primarily provided by the Gulfstream IV and Learjet 45 aircraft, which were specifically acquired for that purpose. The CASA maritime patrol aircraft have been used infrequently for Ministerial Air Transport missions where no MATS aircraft has been available for operational or technical...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Personnel: Defence Forces Personnel (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: Company Sergeant (CS) Felix Grant (RIP) lost his life in the Congo on 3 October 1960. His death is particularly significant as he was the first serving member of the Defence Forces to die on overseas service. Following his death a memorial plaque was erected by his comrades in the 12 Infantry Battalion on the wall of Our Lady of the Rosary Garrison Church in Kickham Barracks Clonmel. On 9...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Second Stage (Resumed) (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I thank Senators for their contributions and for their broad support for what is a very important item of legislation. I also want to thank them for their comments with regard to the procedure we have adopted. One of the first occasions on which that procedure was used was in July of last year, when the heads of the Bill were published and then referred to the Joint Committee on Justice,...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Withholding of Information on Offences Against Children and Vulnerable Persons) Bill 2012: Second Stage (10 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am pleased to present to the House this very important legislation. I commence by highlighting the purpose of the legislation, the primary aim of which is to close an existing loophole in the law. Under the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998, it is an offence to withhold information in respect of a serious criminal offence. However, that provision of the 1998 Act...

Written Answers — Criminal Prosecutions: Criminal Prosecutions (9 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Garda Síochána Act 2005 makes provision for the compilation and publication of crime statistics by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose. I have requested the CSO to provide statistics directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (9 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: I share the Deputy's concern at the incidence of burglaries and I am conscious of the deep distress which this type of crime can cause to householders, and to the broader impact it can have in terms of fear of crime in our communities. All crime trends are monitored closely by Garda management, with intelligence-led initiatives put in place to target burglary and other criminality. The...

Written Answers — Prisoner Releases: Prisoner Releases (9 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: The Community Return Programme is an incentivised scheme introduced in line with the recommendations of the Thornton Hall Project Review Group which provides for earned temporary release under which offenders who pose no threat to the community are offered early temporary release in return for supervised community service. The scheme, which was introduced on a pilot basis last October, is...

Written Answers — Prisoner Transfers: Prisoner Transfers (9 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: The 1983 Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons provides a mechanism whereby prisoners can be repatriated to their home state in order to serve prison sentences they have incurred abroad. The Convention is provided for in legislation in this State by virtue of the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Acts, 1995 and 1997 and the process is administered by my Department. The...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (9 May 2012)

Alan Shatter: The current staffing of my Private Office and Constituency offices, and their salary ranges, is as follows: Private Office Salary (as of May 2011 to date) 1 Private Secretary €43,816 - €55,415 + appropriate Private Secretary allowance 3 Executive Officers €30,516 - €47,975 2 Clerical Officers €23,177 - €37,341 2 Special Advisors €80,051 - €98,424 Constituency Office...