Results 15,361-15,380 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: It has not been possible to compile the information requested in the timeframe allowed. I will arrange for the information to be forwarded directly to the Deputy at the earliest opportunity.

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 325 and 326 together. I am informed by the Garda authorities responsible for the detailed allocation of Garda resources, including personnel, that the total personnel strength of Garda stations in County Kildare as of 13 May 2005 was 240, all ranks. Local Garda management is satisfied that the resources allocated to each Garda station in County Kildare are...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: It has not been possible to compile the information requested in the timeframe allowed. I will arrange for the information to be forwarded directly to the Deputy at the earliest possible opportunity.

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to the reply I gave to Question No. 206 on Thursday, 28 April 2005. I am not aware of any reports of the type mentioned by the Deputy. All cases where a decision to deport is recommended by my officials are considered, inter alia, under the provisions of section 5 of the Refugee Act 1996, prohibition of refoulement, before such a decision is made. I am satisfied that the...

Written Answers — Prison Accommodation: Prison Accommodation (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: The number in custody on 13 May 2005 was 3,226 as against a maximum bed capacity of 3,370. A further 188 prisoners were on temporary release on that date. On the date in question, 96% of the total bed capacity was in use. It must be noted, however, that accommodating prisoners is not simply a matter of matching the global prisoner population to a global figure for beds or cells. A number of...

Written Answers — Juvenile Offenders: Juvenile Offenders (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Children Act 2001 is a fundamental revision of the law governing the treatment of children in conflict with the law and non-offending children in need of special care and protection. The principal considerations behind the Act are prevention, through early intervention, is desirable; diversion, where a child has committed an offence, is the preferred option where society would not be...

Written Answers — Liquor Licensing Laws: Liquor Licensing Laws (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I have recently published proposals for an intoxicating liquor Bill which will streamline and modernise our liquor licensing laws. This will involve repealing the Licensing Acts 1833 to 2004 and replacing them with updated provisions more suited to modern conditions. The proposed Bill provides for the creation of a café bar licence which was a key recommendation in the final report of the...

Written Answers — Residency Permits: Residency Permits (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: An application for permission to remain in the State based on marriage to an Irish national was received from the person concerned in April 2005. Applications of this type, in fairness to all other such applicants, are dealt with in chronological order and take approximately 16 months to process. The application in question was acknowledged on 3 May 2005. Marriage to an Irish national does...

Coroners Service. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I agree with the thrust of the Deputy's remarks but not with how he expressed some of them. Reform in this area is long overdue. The Coroners Act was introduced in 1962 and even then was unduly restrictive and problematic. Now in 2005 the time is long past for reform of the coroner service. The choice that confronted me was whether to produce what is called a break-out Bill to provide for an...

Coroners Service. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: The figure of €110,000 is misleading because many coroners' salaries come from Departments other than mine. On the issue of the powers of coroners, in the past we had an overly timid approach to their powers. As the Deputy will recall, when suicide was a crime, it was held by the courts that a coroner could not find that suicide was the cause of death because it was an imputation of...

Coroners Service. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: There should be a broader power than simply saying, for example, that somebody died of asphyxiation. The analogy for a coroners court is not an adversarial court; it is more like a standing tribunal into unnatural deaths or suspected unnatural deaths. A tribunal can make a finding which is of significance and which the public can understand, but it does not have legal consequence in terms of...

Coroners Service. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I share Deputy Costello's concern that on occasions the sufferings of people whose loved ones have died have been aggravated significantly by the fact that pharmacological tests are conducted simply to exclude the possibility of overdose in circumstances where it is only a technical possibility. These people must wait months to receive the results of those tests before a proper post mortem...

Prisoner Escort Services. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy will be aware that the recently published Prisons Bill 2005 contains provisions which will enable the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to enter into an agreement with another party for the provision of prisoner escort services. This legislation will be enacted without delay. Arrangements to invite tenders for the outsourcing of this service will proceed in parallel....

Prisoner Escort Services. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I do not want to discuss this matter in public in a way that would do more harm than good.

Prisoner Escort Services. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I have been very committed to this process and I have shown great patience. If the Deputies knew exactly what I have done and what I have forborne from doing to bring about an agreed conclusion to this process, they would be surprised.

Prisoner Escort Services. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am not in the business of renegotiating a deal that was reached through the public service arbitrator. If I were to do so, I would be setting a horrific precedent. It was clear during the frank discussion I had with the prison officers' executive, which was friendly on a personal level, that the position is as I have outlined. If the prison officers want me to consider a particular...

Prisoner Escort Services. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: I do not intend to re-enter negotiations with prison officers. There will be no more discussions. If they wish to make a proposal, they can put it to me in writing and I will decide whether to accept it. I expect any proposal that is made by prison officers to command acceptance among them. I will not negotiate with them for a third time. The measures I am taking are proceeding. I assure...

Leaders' Questions. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: They are coming.

Central Statistics Office Report. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: That is not true. It is the exact opposite of the truth.

Central Statistics Office Report. (17 May 2005)

Michael McDowell: There has been a decrease in the rate in each of the last two years.