Results 15,541-15,560 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Public Sector Staff: Public Sector Staff (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I would refer the Deputy to my response to his Parliamentary Question No. 294 on Tuesday 21st June 2011. The pay scales currently applicable to the judiciary are as follows: Post Salary Chief Justice €295,916 President of the High Court €274,779 Judge of the Supreme Court €257,872 President of the Circuit Court €249,418 Judge of the High Court ...

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will appreciate that organised crime, by its nature, is constantly evolving and diversifying in both its structures and its activities, so as to exploit opportunities for criminal gain. Given its complex nature and the fact that membership of organised gangs tends to be fluid and offences committed by members of criminal gangs may or may not be connected with an individual's...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by my officials that they are not aware of any staff serving in my Department who fall (or fell) within the scope of the question. In accordance with the governing legislation and arrangements, all persons to be appointed to positions in my Department involving the imposition of clearance procedures and probationary periods have those arrangements applied to them as a matter of...

Written Answers — Firearms Licences: Firearms Licences (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: As it has not been possible to compile the information requested by the Deputy in the time available, I have asked the Garda Commissioner for a report on the matter and will write to the Deputy when it becomes available.

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: In line with a commitment in the Programme for Government a Personal Insolvency Bill is in the course of being developed in my Department to provide for a new framework for settlement and enforcement of debt and for personal insolvency. The commitment under the EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland is to publish the Bill in Quarter 1 of 2012. It is my objective to publish the...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: On foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government, the Government last week accepted my proposal to hold a referendum on judicial pay. The referendum will coincide with the upcoming Presidential election. The Attorney General's office is now drafting the necessary legislation. As the Deputy is aware, salaries across the public service were reduced under the provisions of the...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy is aware, on 14 June 2011, I appointed Mr. Oliver J. Connolly, Barrister-at-Law, to the position of Confidential Recipient under Regulation 6 of the Garda Síochána (Confidential Reporting of Corruption or Malpractice) Regulations 2007. The role of the Confidential Recipient is to be available to receive, in confidence, reports of corruption or malpractice within An Garda...

Written Answers — Immigration Services: Immigration Services (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 36 and 44 together. The Reception & Integration Agency (RIA) of my Department is responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers while their protection applications are being processed. As of today, RIA has 46 asylum seeker accommodation centres across 19 counties accommodating almost 5,800 residents. The system is a constantly evolving one, taking...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Preliminary work is underway in my Department on the preparation of a Criminal Justice (Victims' Rights) Bill which will strengthen the rights of victims of crime. I expect that a general scheme of the Bill will be ready for submission to Government for consideration by the end of this year.

Written Answers — Immigration Services: Immigration Services (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) issued its concluding observations on 6 June following Ireland's first examination in Geneva last month under Article 19 of the UN Convention against Torture. In its concluding observations relating to refugees and international protection, the Committee made comments/recommendations in relation to a number of matters including provisions...

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: There is no mathematical formula for determining the optimum strength of the Garda Síochána, or indeed any police force. Instead, it is a matter of Government policy, taking into account all the relevant factors such as population and the crime rate, as well of course as the availability of resources. Nor is it a straightforward matter to compare police strength in different...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: In respect of the costs arising for An Garda Síochána, I would refer the Deputy to my replies to Questions Nos. 2 and 12 of today's date.

Written Answers — Garda Equipment: Garda Equipment (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that, following a procurement process conducted last year in accordance with EU and national procurement procedures, twenty-nine class 1 sound level meters were provided to An Garda Síochána. The meters are deployed when and where operational needs demand. The Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 provide,...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for Government includes a commitment to strengthen the powers of the Criminal Assets Bureau in relation to the forfeiture of the proceeds of crime. An Expert Group, established under the auspices of my Department, is currently reviewing the Proceeds of Crime legislation with a view to identifying possible improvements which would serve to enhance...

Written Answers — Court Procedures: Court Procedures (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am aware of the case to which the Deputy refers. In the normal course of a trial a judge charges the jury, as he or she considers appropriate, as to its behaviour during the course of the trial and jury deliberations to ensure that no action is taken which could adversely affect the trial. It is a contempt of court, punishable by a fine or imprisonment for a juror, to discuss the case...

Written Answers — Criminal Prosecutions: Criminal Prosecutions (23 Jun 2011)

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

Written Answers — National Disability Strategy: National Disability Strategy (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The National Disability Strategy was launched in September 2004 and its implementation continues to be the focus of Government policy. Key elements include the Disability Act 2005, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004, the Citizens Information Act 2007 and the Sectoral Plans of six Departments which set out how they will deliver services to people with...

Written Answers — Legal Profession: Legal Profession (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: Under the Programme for National Recovery 2011-2016, the Government undertakes to "establish independent regulation of the legal profession to improve access and competition, make legal costs more transparent and ensure adequate procedures for addressing consumer complaints". These undertakings complement those structural reforms in the EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland aimed...

Written Answers — Compensation Payments: Compensation Payments (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: In the context of the Magdalen laundries, the report of the Irish Human Rights Commission recommended that if, after investigation, State involvement/responsibility is established, the question of redress should be considered. The UN Committee Against Torture recommended that the State should investigate allegations of torture, and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in...

Written Answers — Garda Strength: Garda Strength (23 Jun 2011)

Alan Shatter: The allocation of resources, including personnel, is a matter for the Garda Commissioner and his senior management team. The strength of An Garda Síochána and the allocation of those resources is continually kept under review by the Garda Commissioner and where necessary, derogations from the moratorium on recruitment and promotions in the Public Service can be sought in exceptional...