Results 13,501-13,520 of 18,733 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Telecommunications Data: Telecommunications Data (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: Part 7 — sections 61 to 67 — of the Criminal Justice (Terrorist Offences) Act 2005 provides for the retention of telecommunications data by communications service providers for the purposes of the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of crime, including terrorist offences, or the safeguarding of the security of the State. It would not be in the public interest to reveal the...

Written Answers — Prison Medical Service: Prison Medical Service (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: A small number of cases of MRSA have been diagnosed in prisoners. These have all occurred in prisoners who have been patients in external hospitals for specialist treatment. All cases have been treated in line with the particular clinical indications either directly by prison health care staff or in consultation with relevant external specialist services. A policy guideline, reflecting public...

Written Answers — Drug Seizures: Drug Seizures (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: Data provided by the Garda authorities in respect of seizures of cocaine in the towns of Tralee and Listowel over the period 2000 to 2004, inclusive, and in 2005 to date are summarised in the following table. Year Tralee Listowel 2000 0 0 2001 4 0 2002 2 2 2003 10 0 2004 7 6 2005 to date 5 7 It is a key objective of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008 to reduce...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: As the Deputy is aware, my Department's responsibility relating to child care is confined to the implementation of the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme, EOCP, 2000-2006. This is a substantial investment programme under which capital and staffing grants are made available to develop and support child care facilities. The programme also delivers a number of quality enhancement measures...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to the reply I gave to Question No. 3 of today's date which sets out my position in the matters raised. No meeting of the co-ordinating committee as provided for in Article XIX of the agreement has taken place yet as Nigeria has not yet officially ratified the agreement.

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am assuming that the Deputy is referring to leave to remain applications from persons who are now over 18 years of age but who originally entered the State as unaccompanied minors and made asylum applications that were later refused. I am informed by the Refugee Applications Commissioner that there have been 1,684 asylum applications from unaccompanied minors in the period 1 January 2000 to...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: The organisation referred to by the Deputy has made a submission to my Department in response to the discussion document, Immigration and Residence in Ireland, which I published in April of this year. This submission was one of several concerning the rights of same sex couples in Irish immigration legislation and policy. At present, when determining whether a foreign national should be...

Written Answers — Drugs in Prisons: Drugs in Prisons (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am aware of the potential for positive test results in the context of mandatory drug testing arising from consumption of prescribed medication. I assure the Deputy that the new scheme the Irish Prison Service will put in place will have appropriate provisions to deal with this. There are pre-existing procedures to deal with circumstances in which a positive drug test is attributed by a...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: In the time available for response it has not been possible to compile the detailed information requested by the Deputy. The information requested is being collated at present and I will forward it to the Deputy shortly.

Written Answers — Prison Drug Treatment Services: Prison Drug Treatment Services (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: Methadone is prescribed for prisoners as part of either a detoxification regime or, where clinically indicated, as part of a maintenance programme for prisoners who have either been on such a programme in the community prior to committal or who are, following clinical assessment, considered to be suitable candidates to commence such a programme while in prison. The Prison Service has no...

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy will be aware that the Government approved a series of measures on 11 November 2003 in the event of failure to reach agreement with the Prison Officers' Association on the change agenda aimed at eliminating overtime payments and reducing other costs in the Irish Prison Service. These measures included the mothballing of both Fort Mitchel place of detention and the Curragh place of...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: A working group chaired by my Department and representing the Department of Transport, the Garda Síochána and other relevant agencies, carried out an in-depth examination into the engagement of private sector interests in the provision and operation of speed cameras. On the basis of the group's report, my colleague, the Minister for Transport, and I presented proposals to Government in July...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: I sought a report from the Garda authorities on this matter and I am informed as follows. The fixed charge processing system, FCPS, is operational in Dublin, Cork City and parts of Louth and Meath as a live pilot. As the Deputy will appreciate the idea of operating the system on a pilot basis is to identify any glitches in the system before operating countrywide. Due to an IT problem during...

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: The persons concerned, both Croatians, arrived in the State on 4 February 2002 and applied for asylum. Their applications were refused following consideration of their cases by the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner and, on appeal, by the Office of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. They were informed by letters dated 24 April 2003 and 14 April 2003, respectively, that the Minister...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: The application in question was received by my Department on 10 October 2005. Applications are dealt with strictly in the order of date received. As we have an obligation to provide the best possible service to all our customers and to deal objectively with all applications received in a fair and transparent manner, applications are not, as a rule, given priority over earlier applications in...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: Applications based on marriage to an Irish national referred to by the Deputy are dealt with in chronological order, in fairness to all such applicants, and currently take approximately 16 to 18 months to process. Marriage to an Irish national does not grant any automatic right of residency in the State. The resources allocated to process such applications are dependent on the prioritised...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: Applications of the type referred to by the Deputy are dealt with in chronological order, in fairness to all such applicants, and currently take approximately 16 to 18 months to process. Marriage to an Irish national does not grant any automatic right of residency in the State. It has always been the case that the non-national concerned could not enter employment pending the outcome of the...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: A search of the visa records held by my Department did not locate any reference to a visa application under the details supplied by the Deputy. Officials of my Department contacted the Irish Consulate in Kiev which also failed to locate any such application. The reference number quoted is not a visa application reference number. Such reference numbers usually contain seven digits.

Written Answers — Refugee Support: Refugee Support (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am aware of the "Guide to help childcare staff support refugee children and educational services", which has been developed by Cork City child care committee. I welcome any development which supports vulnerable children and promotes best practice. I am aware of other guides to working with culturally diverse children and am supportive of any such initiative.

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (20 Oct 2005)

Michael McDowell: The appeal against the decision of the visa application referred to by the Deputy was received by my Department on 19 September 2005. In the case of all non-EEA workers seeking to be joined by their family members, they must be in a position to support the family members in question without the need for those family members to have recourse to public funds or paid employment. Unfortunately,...