Results 14,061-14,080 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Courts Service: Courts Service (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: The management and administration of the courts, as the Deputy will be aware, is a matter for the Courts Service. The allocation of the business of the courts, scheduling of court cases and the management of court lists are matters for the judiciary and the Presidents of the courts. The Deputy will also be aware that judges are, subject to the Constitution and the law, independent in the...

Written Answers — Witness Intimidation: Witness Intimidation (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: Section 41 of the Criminal Justice Act 1999 makes it an offence to harm or threaten, menace or in any other way intimidate or put in fear a person who is assisting in the investigation by An Garda Síochána of an offence or a witness or potential witness or a juror or potential juror in proceedings for an offence or a member of his or her family, intending to obstruct, pervert or interfere...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: The information requested in relation to the Army Pensions Board and the Board of Civil Defence is as follows: Name of Agency Number of Board Members Whole Time Equivalent Staff Numbers Civil Defence 14 25.2 Army Pensions Board 3 2 There is no remuneration paid to the members of these boards. Name of Agency Estimated Annual Wage Bill 2011 Budget Allocation Civil Defence €1,226,770...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 452 and 454 together. The non commercial State agencies under the aegis of the Department of Defence are the Civil Defence Board, the Army Pensions Board and the Board of Coiste an Asgard. The staff of the Civil Defence Board and the Army Pensions Board are paid from the Exchequer by the Department of Defence. In the context of settling the Estimates for the...

Written Answers — Defence Forces Strength: Defence Forces Strength (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: The attached tables outline the established and actual strength in each rank of the Reserve Defence Force, Army, Naval Service and Reserve Defence Force Training Authority as at 30 September 2011, the latest date for which figures are available. I understand a detailed response to Question No. 150 of 12 October 2011 will be issued to you later this week. Army Reserve Lt Col Comdt Capt Lt...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Chief State Solicitors Office and the State Claims Agency deal with all legal matters on behalf of the Department. As such it would seldom arise that the Department procures the services of external solicitors and barristers directly. In 2007 McCann Fitzgerald solicitors were contracted, through a competitive tendering process, to provide legal drafting, research and advice services in...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: The annual running cost of the Corepay payroll system for my Department, based on 2011 payments, is €72,734. This cost is broken down as follows: Annual Maintenance (paid to Core International) €41,837 Annual Support Costs for Oracle Database Licences for 400 users1 (paid to Oracle EMEA) €30,897 1 Note: These licences also allow the 400 users to access the eBusiness suite of...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: There are no commercial semi-state bodies under the aegis of the Department of Defence.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: The total expenditure on ICT in 2010 for my Department and agencies under the aegis of the Department is as follows:

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: Department of Defence 1€3,605,012

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: Defence Forces 2€6,545,268

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: ODF €40,750

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: 1 This includes the Civil Defence Board and the Army Pensions Board as the Department provides IT services to both .

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: 2 This does not include staff costs for the Defence Forces as it was not possible to collate the relevant staff costs within the timeframe required. This information will be provided to the Deputy in writing once it has been collated.

Legal Costs (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: I do not have a graph I can produce for the Deputy but I refer him to the initial report and the final report of the Competition Authority published towards the end of 2006 which regarded a range of difficulties within the legal professions as restrictive practices which unduly added to the legal costs for the consumers of the legal profession. I see the legislation to be published as being...

Legal Costs (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: I cannot give the Deputy an answer to that. Every legal issue is different and every type of legal work that must be undertaken, be it by solicitors or solicitors and barristers and, hopefully also in the future, by barristers alone, can vary. It can depend on not only the issue that must be addressed but also the personality of the client with whom the lawyer is dealing. The Deputy knows...

Court Accommodation (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy should be aware, the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998 conferred sole responsibility on the Courts Service for management of courts and, as Minister, I have no role in the matter. Section 4(3) of the 1998 Act provides that the service is independent in the performance of its functions, which includes the provision, maintenance and management of court buildings and...

Court Accommodation (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Courts Service has informed me that decisions to close a venue are generally taken due to its poor conditions, some of which present a health and safety risk which would cost a great deal to rectify. The absence of holding cells is a factor in a number of cases. However, achieving greater efficiencies, particularly in freeing up judicial staff and Garda time currently spent travelling...

Court Accommodation (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: If there is no rural representation on the building sub-committee of the Courts Service, it was calibrated during the term of my predecessor when the Fianna Fáil and Green Party Government was in office. I will certainly inquire into that issue. The Deputy was correct when he said earlier that the Courts Service is independent but that it must report to me. It falls within the envelope of...

Joint Policing Committees (25 Oct 2011)

Alan Shatter: The functions and powers of joint policing committees, JPCs, are set out in the Garda Síochána Act 2005, which provides for a committee in each local authority area. The Act provides that JPCs operate under guidelines issued by the Minister for Justice and Equality after consultation with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. The current guidelines were issued...