Results 13,261-13,280 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (11 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is clear from what I have said already that the codes of practice in place at present will continue. However, given that we are introducing a new independent regulatory authority and given the functions the new authority will have, it is also clear that the new authority will have a function in respect of codes of practice. I think I have spelled that out. If an area of major concern...

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014: From the Seanad (11 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I take this opportunity to pay tribute to all Members of the Oireachtas who contributed to the informed debate on this important legislation. It is particularly appropriate in view of the fact that Ireland will present its case on human rights to the UN Committee on Human Rights on Monday in Geneva. As Deputy Shatter said, this is a critical part of the infrastructure of human rights. As I...

Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (11 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I move amendment No. 1:In page 10, to delete lines 9 and 10 and substitute the following: “ “code of practice” means a code of practice issued under section 20*, and includes part of such a code;”.The Government amendments being tabled relate to Parts 1 and 2 of the Bill. These will deal with key definitions and terminology, as well as the Legal Services...

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014: From the Seanad (11 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I want to inform the House about a small number of amendments to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill that were discussed and agreed in the Seanad. I propose to outline these amendments and the reasoning behind their acceptance. These are technical amendments which need to be made in two places – in section 10 and in the Long Title to the Bill - and to transpose into...

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014: From the Seanad (11 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: This deals with the duties of public bodies and the cross-referencing needed as a result of the changes agreed in the Seanad. Amendment No. 5 is based on a proposal originally introduced by Senators Zappone and van Turnhout in the Seanad and I wish to acknowledge their work. The other amendments are mainly consequential changes in cross-references. The proposed amendments add something...

Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014: From the Seanad (11 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: This is also a technical amendment. It is being included for sake of consistency with the approach in the workplace relations Bill, which was approved by Government this week. The amendment does not make any substantive change in the text from a strict legal perspective, but it spells out in detail what the existing text - "judicial notice shall be taken" - means and, on that basis, it is...

Topical Issue Debate: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I agree with Deputies opposite who said we can never forget the horrific events of 40 years ago that we are remembering today. We cannot forget the pain of the survivors and the families that Deputy Smith has spoken about. The grief of those families has not eased despite the passage of 40 years. I assure them that the memories of their loved ones will never be forgotten. The debate has...

Topical Issue Debate: Dublin-Monaghan Bombings (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. Only a few short weeks ago, we saw the 40th anniversary of the savage bombings in Dublin and Monaghan which resulted in the tragic loss of life and injury referred to by the Deputies. On that day in May 1974, three bombs exploded around Dublin during the busy evening rush hour, including one not far from where we are now. Approximately 90...

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I thank Senators for their positive approach to the amendment. I am grateful we engaged on the issue because the amendment will strengthen the Bill and the implementation of human rights and assist the work of the new commission, all of which are positive. As I stated, having been on the board of the former Employment Equality Agency and a member of the second Commission on the Status of...

Seanad: Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Bill 2014: Report and Final Stages (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: This was originally Senators Zappone and van Turnhout's idea and it is a good one. I am delighted we were able to agree on a revised text for discussion today, following our talk on this topic on Committee Stage. The proposed amendment adds something valuable to section 42, which itself introduces a positive duty on public bodies to have due regard to human rights and equality and reflects a...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Child Abduction (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual cases that may be the subject of an application under the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Such applications are facilitated by the Central Authority for International Child Abduction which is part of my Department. A network of Central Authorities have...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Residential Property Prices Register (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Residential Property Price Register is produced by the Property Services Regulatory Authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 86 of the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011. Section 86 explicitly provides that the Register shall contain the address of the property, the price at which the property was sold and the date of sale of the property. The Register contains...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Crime Investigation (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Garda authorities that there are internal instructions on the timeframes for the recording of different types of incidents on the PULSE system. These timeframes reflect the incident type in question. I am further informed that in practice there is little delay in recording incidents on PULSE due to the availability of the dedicated Garda Information Service Centre,...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission Investigations (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I should clarify that the Terms of Reference for Ms. Logan's Inquiry included a provision that she should, in the context of her Inquiry, have regard to "The systems and policies for ensuring the maintenance of appropriate confidentiality in relation to the utilisation of section 12 (amended by section 7 of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2011 (No. 19 of 2011)) of the Child Care Act 1991 (No....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ombudsman for Children Reports (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: As I indicated at the launch of the Report, I fully accept the Inquiry’s recommendations in relation to engagement with and supports for the Roma community. In particular, I accept the Report's recommendations on the need to improve interaction with the Roma community and to have an up-to-date assessment of the needs regarding support provided by the State to that community. That...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Ombudsman for Children Reports (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Garda Commissioner has already informed me that she proposes to include in An Garda Síochána's Annual Report the number of times section 12 of the Childcare Act 1991 is invoked in each year. This information will be included in the 2014 Annual Report of An Garda Síochána. As the Deputy is aware, the recommendations of the Logan...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Child Protection (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I would emphasise, at the outset, that any person with child welfare or protection concerns should report them to An Garda Síochána or Tusla (The Child and Family Agency) which are the statutory agencies with responsibility for such concerns. Insofar as the 116 000 hotline is concerned, the Deputy will be aware this number has been reserved by the European Commission as a common...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Legislative Process (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions) Bill 2012 has passed Committee Stage in the Dáil, having passed all stages in the Seanad. However, before the Bill could be taken at Report Stage, a 2013 UK Court of Appeal judgment necessitated a review of the disclosure provisions in both the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 and the Spent Convictions Bill....

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Appointments to State Boards (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am interpreting the Deputy’s question in a broad manner so as to provide the information which I believe she is seeking. The term State Boards is somewhat imprecise as it includes bodies with a wide and diverse range of functions many of which would not fall into the more commonly understood definition of Board which is a body with a governance oversight of an organisation. To be...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Naturalisation Applications (10 Jul 2014)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, that an application was received from the person mentioned by the Deputy on 6 August 2013 for residence permission based on being the spouse of an Irish national. A letter issued to this person on 12 August 2013 requesting further documentation, including a valid national passport for the applicant. A...