Results 12,721-12,740 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Family Home Protection (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (3 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: I apologise if I left out Deputy Ó Fearghaíl on a very important issue such as this. I am sure Deputy Kelleher enjoyed being in the House. He used that euphemism. He was not in this Chamber in so far as he had a criticism to voice. Those of us who wanted to address this issue had every opportunity to do so this morning in this Chamber. If he wants to make silly political charges to get...

Family Home Protection (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (3 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: It is not the approach of this Government that it will automatically vote down or ride roughshod over constructive or workable proposals contained in a Private Members' Bill to address an issue that genuinely needs to be addressed. In thanking Deputy Donnelly I encourage Members on all sides, including my many colleagues from the Fine Gael Party and Labour Party who contributed to this...

Family Home Protection (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (3 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: They sometimes adjourn a case for six or 12 months to afford people an opportunity to make up their arrears.

Family Home Protection (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (3 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: I very much appreciate Deputy Donnelly's response. On the basis that it is accepted that there are difficulties with this legislation, instead of dividing the House on the matter, would Deputy Donnelly consider withdrawing the Bill and engaging in the constructive dialogue he talked about in the context of the personal insolvency Bill?

Family Home Protection (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011: Second Stage (3 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: I would like to start by thanking Deputy Donnelly for publishing his Bill. I gave very serious consideration to its content. I want to encourage Members on both sides of the House to use the Friday facilities for Private Members' Bills and I look forward to the time during the lifetime of this Government when a Private Members' Bill is enacted. I am also conscious that I have limited time....

Written Answers — Prison Visiting Committees: Prison Visiting Committees (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: There are currently fourteen Prison Visiting Committees for each institution in the State. With the exception of Castlerea, Cloverhill and Portlaoise Prisons, all have currently less than six members. I have previously stated my intention to strengthen the independent oversight of our prisons. Under new legislation to be prepared, I intend to make Visiting Committees more effective while...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: The most recently available figures (31 December 2011) indicate that approximately 5600 non-EEA students were registered with the Garda National Immigration Bureau on that date having arrived in Ireland since before 1 January 2007. The 'New Immigration Regime for Full Time Non-EEA Students' was published in September 2010 and has been in operation since 1 January 2011. It introduced maximum...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: The person concerned is the sibling of an Irish born child of non-EEA parents born in the State prior to 1 January, 2005. The person concerned was granted permission to remain on stamp 4 conditions, on the basis of family dependency, by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) on 24 February, 2007. The person's current permission to remain is valid until 29 September, 2012....

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: The granting of Irish Citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour and not an entitlement. The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended, provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation provided certain statutory conditions are fulfilled. One such condition is that I must be satisfied that...

Written Answers — Garda Deployment: Garda Deployment (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: In accordance with the provisions of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, it is for the Garda Commissioner to determine the manner in which members of An Garda Síochána, including specialist units such as the Garda Water Unit, are deployed and located throughout the State. I have no role in relation to these matters. I am advised by the Garda authorities that the allocation of specialist units...

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: As I have previously informed the Deputy, following the publication of an article concerning this case in October 2010, representations were made requesting an investigation of the matters raised in it. The Commissioner arranged for a Detective Superintendent to meet the author of the article and the persons making the representations to make an assessment whether there was any evidence not...

Written Answers — Anti-Social Behaviour: Anti-Social Behaviour (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the area referred to is within the Clontarf Garda Sub-District. Local Garda management is aware of difficulties being experienced by residents concerning the location in question. I am further informed that a meeting, attended by the local Community Garda and local representatives, was held in Autumn, 2011 to discuss matters regarding the location,...

Written Answers — Garda Vetting Service: Garda Vetting Service (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the application was processed and returned to the Registered Organisation concerned on 31 January 2012.

Written Answers — Personal Insolvency Bill: Personal Insolvency Bill (2 Feb 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. Two of those systems - Debt Settlement Arrangement and Personal Insolvency Arrangement - require the involvement of a personal insolvency trustee as the intermediary between the debtor and creditors. The matter of the eligibility criteria,...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: The person concerned has been granted Leave to Remain in the State which is valid to 29 March 2012. This decision was conveyed in writing to the person concerned by letter dated 29 March 2010. The person concerned is required to apply in writing for the renewal of this permission. As my Department's records show no evidence of such a renewal application having been made to date, it is...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that the person referred to by the Deputy has no application pending for residency. The person concerned is the subject of a Deportation Order, signed on 5 November 2010, following a comprehensive and thorough examination of her asylum claim and her application for subsidiary protection, and a detailed examination of...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that no application has been received from this person for the purposes set out in the Deputy's question. The person concerned must make an application to the General Immigration Section of INIS to have their case considered. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Personnel: Defence Forces Personnel (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: The retention of Border Duty Allowance in the circumstances outlined by the Deputy are the subject of negotiations between the Department and PDFORRA under the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme (C&A Scheme) for members of the Permanent Defence Force. The Deputy will appreciate that as discussions under the C&A scheme are confidential to the parties involved it would be inappropriate for me...

Written Answers — Public Sector Remuneration: Public Sector Remuneration (2 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: The agencies associated with this Department are the Civil Defence Board, the Army Pensions Board and the Board of Coiste an Asgard. The Chief Executive Officer of the Civil Defence Board is a serving civil servant at Principal Officer grade. The arrangements that apply to the CEO in respect of pension and expenses are the same as for all Civil Service staff. No employee of any of the...

Written Answers — Investor Visa Programme: Investor Visa Programme (1 Feb 2012)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 to 140, inclusive, together. The Immigrant Investor Programme, which has been approved by the Government, will provide a portfolio of investment options for potential migrant investors. Details of these together with the broad outline on how the scheme will operate are set out in the press release issued by me on 24 January, 2012. The level of investment...