Results 13,321-13,340 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (6 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: The estimated cost to my Department of a 2% increase in the standard rate of VAT for 2012 is in the order of €2m.

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (6 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: The revised Rules and Constitution of the Irish Red Cross that were agreed at the last meeting of the Society's Central Council in May 2011 will take effect when the Irish Red Cross Society Order 1939 has been amended by Government. The text of this proposed legislation is currently being finalised and officials from my Department are engaged in ongoing consultation with the Office of the...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (6 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: While a member of the Council resigned earlier this year for personal reasons, there is no immediate requirement for the Government to appoint a replacement as the number of Government nominees currently meets the statutory requirement that at least one-third of the Council be made up of such nominees.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy is deliberately not listening.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: Coming from someone who destroyed the economy, that is not very convincing.

Leaders' Questions (6 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: Does Deputy Healy-Rae want to tell us how many hundreds of thousands of euro his company gets from Kerry County Council?

Order of Business (6 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: Deputy Martin is performing the role of Mr. Angry Man.

Prison Visiting Committees (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: A visiting committee is appointed by the Minister for Justice and Equality to each prison under the Prisons (Visiting Committees) Act 1925 and Prisons (Visiting Committees) Order 1925. There are currently 14 visiting committees, one for each institution. The function of visiting committees is to visit at frequent intervals the prison to which they are appointed and to hear any complaints...

Prison Visiting Committees (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: The reason for that is nothing to do with the prison staff. It is to do with young people being members of gangs and being afraid of other members of other gangs. This is a problem within the prison estate dealing with those in their late teens and early 20s in the context of gangs engaged in criminality. Some of these are engaged in violent criminality and the drugs trade where real...

Prison Visiting Committees (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: In the context of young people under 18 who are still accommodated in St. Patrick's, as the Deputy knows it is Government policy to bring that to an end and that requires the building of the new facility in Oberstown in Lusk. The planning for that will continue into 2012 and plans are being drawn up. From 1 January it will fall into the remit of the Minister for Children, which is where it...

Prison Visiting Committees (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: If the Ombudsman for Children wishes to visit St. Patrick's Institution or talk to young people under 18 who are held there, she will have the fullest co-operation.

Cross-Border Projects (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: I know that all Members of the House will join me in condemning all subversive groups and their activities. These groups may be called, as the Deputy refers to them, "dissident republicans", but such a label lends them an historical respectability they do not deserve. We should be clear that these people are no more than criminal terrorists using violence in pursuit of their own, sometimes...

Cross-Border Projects (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: There is very substantial co-operation and there have been joint operations involving the PSNI and Garda and Her Majesty's Revenue Services and the Revenue Commissioners. Those operations have been particularly successful in the context of dealing, not simply with subversion but with criminal gangs who have been engaged in fuel smuggling, drug trafficking and in bringing large amounts of...

Cross-Border Projects (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy may know there is already that type of co-operation between this State and the United Kingdom that has operated reasonably well and, in so far as we can put in place new measures in co-operation with Northern Ireland now that the area of justice has been devolved, we are continuing to explore those. I should say to the Deputy that in dealing with this area I also met last week...

Departmental Funding (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: Under the recently published Infrastructure and Capital Investment programme 2012-2016, the justice sector allocation for 2012 is €56 million. This represents a 30% reduction on the current year's allocation of €80 million. While detailed planning for 2012 is in the process of being finalised, it is important that this allocation is utilised in such a manner as to drive the maximum...

Departmental Funding (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: I agree that the governor of Mountjoy Prison, Mr. Whelan, has done an extraordinary job in a very short time. He has transformed the facility and put in place effective measures to reduce the amount of drugs and mobile telephones getting into the prison. He has made a very substantial difference and it is right that we acknowledge it. The Thornton Hall project is not dead. I greatly regret...

Departmental Funding (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: I understand the capital funding for Garda stations, fortunately, comes from the OPW. If I am wrong in that I will notify the Deputy in writing of the correction. It is my understanding that there are some plans within the OPW, in accordance with the limited financial envelope available to it, to progress the project to which the Deputy referred. However, whether it will progress in 2012...

Judicial Appointments (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: Under the Constitution, members of the Judiciary are appointed by the President on the advice of the Government. Applications for judicial appointments are dealt with by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board, which was established pursuant to the Court and Courts Officers Act 1995. The board consists of the Chief Justice, the Presidents of the High Court, Circuit Court and District...

Judicial Appointments (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: It is unfortunate that there should be a perception in any circumstances that any form of political connection is required in order to be appointed to the Judiciary. In the case of every appointment made by this Government, the persons were appointed because of their legal expertise, their reputation as lawyers and in all but two of the appointments made, were appointments made on foot of a...

Fines Legislation (1 Dec 2011)

Alan Shatter: As I previously advised the House, the Fines Act 2010 is being commenced on a phased basis. This question is part of the Groundhog Day, I think. Does the Deputy wish me to move on and we will formally distribute the response and it might give us an opportunity to deal with a different issue?