Results 1,161-1,180 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Garda Inspectorate: Garda Inspectorate (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38, 46 and 135 together. Following on from the Barr Tribunal, the Garda Inspectorate published its second report, Review of Practices and Procedures for Barricade Incidents, in February 2007. The report contains eighty-four recommendations made by the Inspectorate. To date, seventy-four of these have been fully implemented, a further seven have been...

Written Answers — Joint Policing Committees: Joint Policing Committees (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Joint Policing Committees are provided for in the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Their purpose is to provide a forum where An Garda Síochána and the local authority - the two organisations which make the most significant contribution to preventing and tackling crime in a specific area - can come together, with the participation of members of the Oireachtas and community and voluntary...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: A number of the measures in the Special Group Report (McCarthy) have been implemented at this stage in order to achieve reductions in the Departments Estimates for 2010. These relate to the programmes in a range of subheads which include Gender Mainstreaming, Graffiti Removal Operations, Equality Monitoring Consultative Committees, European Refugee Fund and Refugee Integration. The McCarthy...

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am well aware of the importance of funding for these projects but I am currently not in a position to give an indication of the level of funding for next year until the 2011 Estimates process has been completed. It is important to point out that tackling youth crime is a key priority for this Government. The Government's policy on youth crime is set out in detail in the National Youth...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I assume that the Deputy is referring to recommendation number 10.7 contained in the Report of the Innovation Taskforce that provides for modernisation of bankruptcy law. The Deputy will appreciate that the recommendation envisages that any such modernisation should follow the conclusion of the Law Reform Commission's consultation process on Personal Debt Management and Debt Enforcement. I...

Written Answers — Organised Crime: Organised Crime (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I have been informed by the Garda authorities that there are two categories of organised crime groups operating within this jurisdiction. The first category consists of groups that are well established and tightly structured and are involved in drug trafficking, armed robbery and firearms offences. The second category involves groups whose activities are characterised by less cohesive group...

Written Answers — Prison Committals: Prison Committals (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I can advise the Deputy that the number of such persons actually held in custody at any one time is a minute fraction of the overall prisoner population. To illustrate this point, 14 prisoners out of a total of 4366 or 0.3 % of the prison population on 05 October 2010 fell into this category. On the same date there was 1 person in custody for failing to pay a civil debt. As the Deputy will be...

Written Answers — Control of Firearms: Control of Firearms (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Deputy will appreciate that for obvious reasons it is not the practice and it would not be in the public interest to comment on matters related to the security of VIPs. The importation of firearms is strictly governed by legislation. In particular, pursuant to the Firearms (Firearms Certificates for Non-Residents) Act 2000, the Minister is empowered to grant firearms certificates to...

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Proposals for the introduction of a new system which would allow the taking of contemporaneous written notes to cease where interviews are electronically recorded have been considered by my Department and the Garda Síochána, in consultation with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Office of the Attorney General. While proposals for a new system are well advanced, it...

Written Answers — Commercial Rent Reviews: Commercial Rent Reviews (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The report of the Working Group on transparency in commercial rent reviews was published on 17 August. It is available on my Department's website - www.justice.ie. The Working Group recommended the establishment of a public database containing relevant details of letting arrangements and rent reviews in the commercial property market. An appropriate amendment is being developed within the...

Written Answers — Courts Service: Courts Service (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I should say at the outset that my Department has not withdrawn funding from the organisation which provides services to victims of crime in respect of court support services. I understand that since its inception in 2005 the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime has provided grant assistance to the Court Support Services Organisation. The Commission continues to fund the Court...

Written Answers — Prison Committals: Prison Committals (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: It is important to put our increasing prisoner population in context and within the management of this population to look at the role that temporary release can play. Indeed Ireland is not unique in having to manage an increasing prisoner population - a fact acknowledged by the Inspector of Prisons in his commentary on this issue. It is evident from a perusal of the prison statistics for...

Written Answers — Prison Drug Treatment Services: Prison Drug Treatment Services (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 134 together. As of 30 September 2010, there were 34 prisoners throughout the prison system on waiting lists for drug treatment programmes. No prisoner has been on the waiting list for more than three months. Table 1. shows the number on the waiting list by prison. I am advised by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service that the current...

Written Answers — Public Order Offences: Public Order Offences (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Strong provisions are in place to combat anti-social behaviour. The Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 modernised the law in this regard. Furthermore, because of concerns about the abuse of alcohol and its contribution to public order offending and broader social problems, provisions were brought forward to deal with alcohol abuse and its effect on public order in the Intoxicating...

Written Answers — Garda Reserve: Garda Reserve (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the personnel strength of the Garda Reserve, on the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 626 with a further 144 in training. I have asked the Commissioner for the latest report on the allocation of Garda Reserve members throughout the country and as soon as this becomes available I will communicate it to the Deputy. The...

Written Answers — Garda Inspectorate: Garda Inspectorate (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda Commissioner, that following the publication of the Garda Inspectorate Report on Resource Allocation, Deputy Commissioner Strategy and Change Management was appointed to consider the report and to co-ordinate an agreed and pragmatic programme of work to advance the implementation of the twenty-seven recommendations. My officials will work closely with the Garda...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I am informed by the Garda Authorities that the overall costs of the policing operation to date for the Corrib Gas project, from the commencement of the operation in August 2005 to end September 2010 is approximately €13.925 million. The figure for 2010 to end September is €337, 777. A detailed breakdown of the figures is set out in the table below. These figures do not include the...

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question 16 on the Thursday, 13th May, 2010. The position remains essentially as stated. However, I would like to add that in August I published the 2009 Annual Report of the Committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the Garda Diversion Programme. This report showed a reduction of 13% in the number of incidents referred to the...

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: In February 2010 the Dubai police confirmed that several suspects, believed to have been involved with the killing of a senior Hamas figure, had entered Dubai on the passports of a number of foreign countries, including a total of eight Irish passports. Subsequent investigations carried out by the Passport Service and by the Gardaí have confirmed that the eight Irish passports used were...

Written Answers — Misuse of Drugs: Misuse of Drugs (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Crystal meth is a form of methamphetamine and as such is a controlled drug under schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 and 1984. As such, it is subject to stringent controls. It has no medicinal use and cannot be prescribed by doctors, sold or distributed and it is also illegal to possess the drug. The chemicals used to produce the drug are strictly controlled and monitored under both...