Results 13,921-13,940 of 18,734 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: Subsequent to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 435 of 30 November 2004 which addressed the issues raised by the group in question, I have made the following regulations and orders under section 40 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, which relates to court proceedings heard otherwise than in public. I made regulations under section 40(3) specifying three categories of persons who...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the person in question has recently been granted permission to remain in the State.

Written Answers — Garda Investigations: Garda Investigations (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 979, 981 and 982 together. The person in question was arrested on 2 June 2005 and conveyed to Store Street Garda station where he was detained and placed in a cell. During the afternoon of that date, he was found in an unconscious state in the cell and removed to hospital where he died on 16 September 2005. The full circumstances surrounding the arrest,...

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: According to the Garda authorities, the following tabular statement shows the number and type of firearms recorded as seized by the Garda Síochána to date in 2005. The figures cover the period up to 18 September 2005 and are provisional at this stage. Firearm type Number seized Air pistol 91 Air rifle 41 Toy gun-imitation 58 Stun gun 17 Shotgun 147 Rifle 66 Revolver...

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: I assume the Deputy is referring to the cases of non-EEA nationals who are served with a notice of intention to deport them under section 3(3)(a) of the Immigration Act 1999, as amended. Section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1999, as amended, allows the Minister to make a deportation order in respect of nine categories of persons including a person who has served or is serving a term of...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to my response to Parliamentary Question No. 141 of 16 June 2005. My Department has not received information regarding the current status of the court proceedings in question. Neither has information been supplied concerning the person's ongoing ability to maintain herself without recourse to public funds. I am not in a position to consider granting the extension of...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: Applications for permission to remain in the State under the revised arrangements for the non-national born parents of Irish-born children born before 1 January 2005 are being dealt with in order of receipt in so far as is possible and as expeditiously as possible. Some 18,000 applications were received under the revised arrangements and to date more than 13,000 of those have been given...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: The amendment to the Constitution following the referendum on 11 June 2004 has allowed the Oireachtas to deal with the issue of citizenship for children of non-national parents. The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 2004, which commenced on 1 January this year, provides that certain non-nationals are required to be resident in the island of Ireland for a three-year period prior to the...

Written Answers — Refugee Status: Refugee Status (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: The person concerned applied for asylum on 19 August 2003. Her application was investigated by the Refugee Applications Commissioner who made a recommendation that she should not be recognised as a refugee. This position was conveyed to the person concerned by letter dated 31 December 2004. She appealed this recommendation to the Refugee Appeals Tribunal. Following its examination of the...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to my replies to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 424 of 19 April 2005 and 199 of 21 April 2005. In those replies I informed the Deputy that I had decided to refuse the application of the person concerned and I set out the basis for my decision, that is, that the applicant did not have sufficient residency in the State at the time he applied. I also informed the Deputy that the...

Written Answers — Refugee Status: Refugee Status (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: The refugee in question made an application for family reunification in November 2004. The application was forwarded to the Refugee Applications Commissioner for investigation as required under section 18 of the Refugee Act 1996. The commissioner submitted a report on the investigation to my Department on 26 September 2005. Further documentation in support of the application has been...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: It seems the man in question obtained Irish citizenship by registration in the foreign births register on 16 July 2001. The woman to whom the Deputy refers recently became an Irish citizen on foot of making a declaration of post-nuptial citizenship. Since all three children were born before the couple became Irish citizens, they cannot obtain Irish citizenship automatically through their...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: Applications for certificates of naturalisation from the persons referred to by the Deputy were received in the citizenship section of my Department on 21 January 2005. Based on the volume of applications on hand at the present time, it is likely the applications of the persons referred to, both of whom have refugee status in the State, will be finalised by the middle of 2006. I will inform...

Written Answers — Garda Recruitment: Garda Recruitment (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: Following the Government decision to approve my proposal to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000, I asked the Garda Commissioner to review the eligibility criteria for entry to the force. I initially increased the maximum age of applicants from 26 to 35 in time for the recruitment competition in November 2004. That change has had a significant effect, with a significant...

Written Answers — Closed Circuit Television Systems: Closed Circuit Television Systems (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that it is intended to proceed with the installation of the proposed town centre CCTV system in Finglas. As the Deputy is aware, a key issue to be addressed in the installation of this system is the provision of suitable accommodation to house the monitoring equipment. It was initially hoped that this could be accommodated in Finglas Garda station....

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: In August 2004, I announced the allocation of €7 million in funding as part of phase II of the equality for women measure to fund projects specifically supporting the development of women located in areas of economic disadvantage. Following a call for proposals, funding applications were received from more than 130 organisations, including the group referred to by the Deputy. Each...

Written Answers — Prison Building Programme: Prison Building Programme (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: The committee was established to draw up and apply a matrix of objective criteria to assess the suitability of sites for the development of a prison facility to replace the Mountjoy complex and to short list a number of suitable sites for consideration by me. I am satisfied with the work of the committee and pleased that a suitable site with considerable potential for development has been...

Written Answers — Prison Building Programme: Prison Building Programme (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: I completely reject the suggestion that a prison site has been purchased at a cost considerably greater than the market value. Moreover, I have at present no statutory powers to acquire sites or land for the construction of new prison facilities through compulsory purchase orders. However, this is a matter I am reviewing.

Written Answers — Prison Building Programme: Prison Building Programme (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: No official under my direction either in the Department or in the Prison Service made such an approach and, to the best of my knowledge, no official from any other Department or agency made such an approach either.

Written Answers — Prison Building Programme: Prison Building Programme (28 Sep 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am totally satisfied with the conduct of all members of the committee, including advisers, and I reject any criticism of their conduct. No committee member or adviser identified the site. It was submitted by an agent for the vendor. A technical assessment of the site was carried out through the Office of Public Works on the same basis as that which applied to the other sites considered by...