Results 1,281-1,300 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Garda Investigations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I will not interfere in that. It may be taking a long time but Deputy Shatter made reference to a number of cases that were relatively simple. In this case there are ten different strands of investigation. More than 115,000 e-mails and documents have passed between various institutions and individuals and they have to be examined.

Garda Investigations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: That is the extent-----

Garda Investigations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Any issue will be put before the court if, ultimately, the Garda Commissioner and the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement can put together a case that is systematically and forensically examined.

Garda Investigations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: That is the way it should be.

Crime Prevention (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The increase in activities by the groups in question in recent months is obviously a matter of concern for the Government. I know that all Members of the House will join me in condemning these groups without reserve. We should be clear that these people are no more than criminals using violent means in pursuit of their own ends. They have no support in the wider community for their...

Crime Prevention (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The situation in particular on the northern side has eased in terms of the militarisation to which we were used in the past 30 years, but it is safe to say that there has not been an easing of the Garda focus on the side of the Border. That is instanced by the fact that this year alone 50 people have been arrested and 22 people are before the courts. Recently at my insistence the Garda...

Crime Prevention (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I have seen press reports on that particular research. It is safe to say that it does refer to the support being small by any standard. The author refers to small-scale support. None of us is complacent in that regard. It is not correct to equate it to the type of support the Provisional IRA had especially in the North during its campaign of 30 years because the majority of people North...

Crime Prevention (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Sure. The issue of the threat in Britain is not regarded as severe as that to the North of Ireland. The threat in the North has been there for some time. That is the considered view of the Garda Síochána and the PSNI Chief Constable. Equally, I know from the Garda Commissioner who is in contact with the security services in Britain that he is satisfied with the raising of the level of...

Crime Prevention (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I do not want to go into the different groups as they are disparate but there is no doubt that there is some cross-fertilisation between two of the major groups. That is something the Garda Síochána is examining very closely.

Garda Disciplinary Proceedings (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I understand from the Garda Commissioner that, in the course of preparing a comprehensive investigation file into the criminal activities of an organised criminal group for consideration by the DPP, a small but nonetheless important portion of the investigation file was brought under gardaí supervision to the premises in question. During the course of the gardaí visit to the premises, and...

Garda Disciplinary Proceedings (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I do not want to go into specific details of the premises because a criminal investigation is ongoing. It is safe to say the gardaí involved in the preparation of the file for the DPP decided to bring it to an outside printing operation. That was not done because of a lack of resources, the gardaí have a full printing and photocopying capability in the office, but a decision was made for...

Garda Disciplinary Proceedings (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Garda Commissioner has issued a directive to ensure this does not happen again. Clearly there was an element of human error in this.

Garda Disciplinary Proceedings (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Garda Commissioner is satisfied the members involved acted in good faith and it was a human error. I can say categorically that this will never happen again. Those involved are now wiser. It was not just a matter of photocopying because the Garda Síochána has such facilities, it was to present the file in a better format for presentation to the DPP. This file was not left on the...

Garda Investigations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: This is a despicable type of crime. The abduction and false imprisonment of a person's family or friends, in order to coerce them into assisting with a robbery, is a particularly abhorrent type of crime. The trauma visited on the innocent victims involved by heartless criminals can be only imagined by the rest of us. I know my contempt for those responsible will be shared by Members of the...

Garda Investigations (7 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I agree with the Deputy that these are despicable crimes but I do not agree that I in any way insinuated that people did not adhere to the protocols. I have been assiduous in saying that, while the protocols are there, it is easy for us to talk about compliance with protocols.

Written Answers — EU Directives: EU Directives (6 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Directive 2009/52/EC provides for minimum standards on sanctions and measures against employers of illegally staying third country nationals. The Directive is targeted at the illegal employment of third country nationals in order to counteract illegal immigration. It provides minimum standards on sanctions and measures, including disqualification from public benefits, and, in serious cases,...

Written Answers — Child Abduction: Child Abduction (6 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: I refer the Deputy to my written reply to Question No. 268 of 5 October 2010. The position remains unchanged.

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (6 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: Long Term Residency is an administrative scheme that was introduced in May 2004 and is focused on persons who have been legally resident in the State for over five years on the basis of work permit/work authorisation/working visa conditions. Such persons may apply to the Long Term Residency Unit of my Department for a five year residency extension. The Long Term Residency Unit processed a...

Written Answers — Road Safety: Road Safety (6 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: The Garda Commissioner and I signed the contract for an outsourced safety camera network with the preferred service provider in November, 2009 following a tender and evaluation process. In accordance with the provisions of the contract, following the necessary preparatory work, roll-out of the national safety camera network is scheduled to commence in the coming weeks and will reach full...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (6 Oct 2010)

Dermot Ahern: My Department is responsible for the payment of pensions awarded to retired members of An Garda Síochána, retired solicitors of the Legal Aid Board and retired staff of the Children's Detention Schools operated by the Irish Youth Justice Service. The current value of the highest annual pension paid from my Department is €116,250.00 and 87% of all annual pensions are less than €35,000....