Results 11,981-12,000 of 21,096 for speaker:Charles Flanagan

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Magdalen Laundries Report (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As I have previously indicated, the Department is giving full and detailed consideration to each of the four recommendations made by the Ombudsman in his report published on 23 November 2017. It is important to note that the existing Scheme remains open. To date 684 applicants to the Magdalen scheme have received their ex-gratia payments from my...

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

Charles Flanagan: Let me say straight out that I am satisfied with the protection provided to persons who make protected disclosures in An Garda Síochána. As the Deputy is aware, the Protected Disclosures Act came into operation on 15 July 2014. Members of An Garda Síochána who wish to make a protected disclosure may do so in accordance with the provisions of the Act.  The Act...

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...

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

Charles Flanagan: I can inform the Deputy that for the purpose of reply, I take it that the question refers to persons who were held on remand within the prison system and but who subsequently released arising from a non-conviction following a Court trial.  This being so, I can inform the Deputy that there is no statutory basis to provide specific services to such persons beyond that which would be...

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 Stations (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: The Deputy will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to An Garda Síochána, including responsibility for the formulation of proposals in relation to the opening and closing of Garda stations. As Minister, I have no role in the matter. Indeed, this was the basis on which the Garda District...

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

Charles Flanagan: The Policing Authority represents one of the most significant developments in policing since the foundation of the State.  It constitutes a major element of the comprehensive programme of justice reform which is being delivered by the Government, aimed both at ensuring continuing confidence in the work of An Garda Síochána and at supporting the women and men of the service in...

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

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who 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...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Community Alert Programme (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 74 and 101 together. As the Deputies will be aware, the Programme for Government underlines the need for close engagement between An Garda Síochána and local communities. This is an essential feature of the strong community policing ethos which has long been central to policing in this jurisdiction.  The Deputy will also be aware that as part of...

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

Charles Flanagan: I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that, following the completion of criminal proceedings flowing from the incident referred to, and public commentary in relation to members of An Garda Síochána who were involved in the policing of same, an Assistant Commissioner was tasked with conducting a review of the policing of the event. The final report from the Assistant...

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 Operations (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: As the Deputy will be aware, I have previously put on record my deep concern at the serious failures of the Garda organisation in relation to mandatory alcohol testing checkpoints and fixed charge notices. In relation to the particular issue of whether disciplinary action should be taken against individual members of An Garda Síochána arising from the mandatory alcohol testing...

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

Charles Flanagan: I can confirm that my Department received the document referred to in this Parliamentary Question. This was provided to the Department on the basis that the information would be held in the strictest confidence and referred to only as a possible means of verification if an applicant to the ex-gratia scheme was resident in the Magdalen Institution in Galway.  There were only limited...

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: Immigrant Investor Programme Data (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that a limited internal review of the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) was concluded in Q3 2017. The review only examined the period to December 2016. As the IIP Programme had only gained momentum in the second half of 2016, to evaluate its effectiveness as of December 2016 might not provide for...

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...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision System (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: My Department has been actively engaged in reform over the past number of years, constantly striving to improve the international protection process.  The Report of the Working Group to Report to Government on Improvements to the Protection Process, including Direct Provision and supports to Asylum Seeker, also known as the Justice McMahon report, was...

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: Criminal Prosecutions (5 Dec 2017)

Charles Flanagan: I have no plans currently to introduce a system of compensation as proposed in this question. This is because section 6 of the Criminal Justice Act 1993 gives the courts a statutory power to order a person convicted of an offence to pay compensation to a person who has suffered personal injury or loss resulting from the offence.  This is instead of or in addition to...