Results 11,961-11,980 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Garda Training (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who has statutory responsibility for arranging for the training of personnel and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. I am informed by the Commissioner that each Garda division has a continuous professional development school which provides for professional development on a variety of topics and issues, ranging from...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Magdalen Laundries (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I can assure the Deputy that the matter is receiving ongoing, due and careful consideration. While I acknowledge that the Ombudsman's report was critical, I must also say that I have been told that the scheme was administered by the staff of the Department of Justice and Equality with compassion and unstinting dedication. Staff of the Department have been praised on a regular basis by...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Magdalen Laundries (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: To date, 830 applications have been received and of these, 694 have been paid an award. A total of 106 applications were refused because the applicants were not admitted to and working in one of the 12 named institutions covered by the scheme. The Deputy raises the issue of lack of capacity in particular. I readily accept that there has been a delay in making payments to certain women...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Garda Commissioner Appointment (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Policing Authority under section 9 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, as amended, has responsibility for nominating persons for appointment by the Government to the post of Garda Commissioner.  In the meantime, we have an excellent acting Commissioner in Dónall Ó Cualáin who is exercising the full powers of a Garda Commissioner. This will be the first...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions: Magdalen Laundries (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As I have previously indicated, both myself and my Department are giving full and detailed consideration to each of the four recommendations made by the Ombudsman in his report published on 23 November. It is important to note that the existing scheme remains open. To date, 684 applicants to the Magdalen scheme have received their ex gratiapayments from my...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources 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 these...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Deployment (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I should say at the outset that the distribution of Gardaí is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner. Notwithstanding the Commissioner’s responsibility for the distribution of Garda personnel, I have provided for the record the detailed information requested by Deputy in tabular form in relation to the number of Gardaí allocated to the Divisional...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Closed-Circuit Television Systems Provision (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for a Partnership Government commits to supporting investment in CCTV systems and, in this context, my Department launched the Community-based CCTV Grant-aid Scheme in April 2017, as the vehicle to assist community groups in the establishment of CCTV systems in their local areas. Under the Scheme, eligible community groups can apply for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Closed-Circuit Television Systems (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for a Partnership Government commits to supporting investment in CCTV systems and, in this context, my Department launched the Community-based CCTV Grant-aid Scheme in April 2017, as the vehicle to assist community groups in the establishment of CCTV systems in their local areas. Under the Scheme, eligible community groups can apply for...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Correspondence (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy knows, the Protected Disclosures Act was enacted in 2014 to introduce specific protections for whistleblowers.  The core provisions in the Act provide for protection from dismissal and other forms of penalisation for the making of a protected disclosure, and for the protection of the identity of persons making disclosures.  I am not, therefore, going to...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Overtime (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: At the outset, can I say that the allocation and management of the overtime budget is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner having due regard to the available resources and his operational needs. In this context, I would inform the House that I presented a supplementary estimate to the Select Committee last Thursday which provides for additional expenditure of some €58.1...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Road Traffic Offences (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this important issue.  I am deeply conscious of the serious issue of road safety and of the traumatic impact of road traffic collisions on those directly affected and their families.  I am also mindful of the impact of dangerous driving, including anti-social driving, more generally on the quality of life of residents in local communities...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Prison Service (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I can inform the Deputy that there is no statutory basis to provide specific services to persons who have been held on bail but are subsequently released following an acquittal or other wise not convicted beyond that which would be provided to other prisoners, whether on remand, on bail, or upon release. Part 6 of the Prison Rules 2007 provides for the services which the Irish Prison...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Restorative Justice (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Probation Service plays a key role in the delivery of restorative justice as part of its overall mission of reducing reoffending and further victimisation in our communities.  Referrals for restorative justice interventions are provided post-conviction, within the parameters of assessment and court orders, including community and prison based actions. The Probation Service, through...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Tribunals of Inquiry (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: Discovery orders were issued by the Tribunal to my Department in February, April and September. These orders were fully complied with and the relevant documents were forwarded to the Tribunal in February, May and September 2017. For the benefit of the House I can say that the discovery orders concerned records of the O’Higgins Commission of Investigation, documents related to two...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Strength (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I should say at the outset that the distribution of Garda personnel is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner. Notwithstanding the Commissioner's responsibility for the distribution of Gardaí, I have provided for the record a breakdown, in tabular form, of the detailed information requested by the Deputy as of 31 October 2017, the latest...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Departmental Reviews (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will be aware that the Taoiseach announced last week that the Government intends to appoint an external reviewer to examine the process of discovery for the Disclosures Tribunal with a view to reporting by Christmas.  In addition, a Change Implementation Group is to be established to assess progress in implementing the recommendations arising...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Resources (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources 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 these...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Strength (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I should say at the outset that the distribution of Garda personnel is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner. Notwithstanding the Commissioner's responsibility for the distribution of Gardaí, I have provided for the record a breakdown, in tabular form, of the detailed information requested by the Deputy as of 31 October 2017, the latest date for which...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Strength (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I should say at the outset that the distribution of Garda personnel is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner. Notwithstanding the Commissioner's responsibility for the distribution of Gardaí, I have provided for the record a breakdown, in tabular form, of the detailed information requested by the Deputy as of 31 October 2017, the latest date for which...