Results 16,201-16,220 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: Responsibility for the Irish Human Rights Commission transferred to my Department with effect from 1 April 2011. Under current legislation the Chief Executive of the Commission is accountable to the Public Accounts Committee. The Commission can also be required to make a presentation to an Oireachtas Committee on any matter that has been considered by the Commission. I am satisfied that the...

Written Answers — Departmental Responsibilities: Departmental Responsibilities (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am committed to the protection of human rights and promotion of equality as is required under the Irish Constitution and the various International laws and treaties Ireland has signed and ratified including obligations from EU membership. All work of the Department in all areas will fully reflect and respect human rights principles. Far from being a retrograde step, as implied in the...

Written Answers — Equality Issues: Equality Issues (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: I refer the Deputy to my reply below to Parliamentary Question No. 431 of 3 May 2011. The position is unchanged since then. Employment equality legislation aims to strike a necessary and appropriate balance between the right to the free profession and practice of religion, recognised by the Constitution and the principle of equality and has done so by providing a qualified exception, of...

Written Answers — Detention Centres: Detention Centres (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Programme for Government states that we will end the practice of detaining children aged 16 and 17 years old in St. Patrick's Institution. Responsibility for the development and provision of safe, secure accommodation for all children ordered to be detained by the Courts rests with the Irish Youth Justice Service, and this service will shortly come under the remit of my colleague Ms....

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: The work of the Criminal Assets Bureau is central to tackling serious and organised crime, including drug trafficking and other drug related criminal activity. The Bureau is being actively utilised to identify and target funds accumulated by those involved in drug related activity, in order to seize such assets and to deprive those involved of the profits of their criminal activity. A...

Written Answers — International Agreements: International Agreements (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: Cosc, my Department's National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, actively contributed to all stages of the drafting process in relation to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. I welcome the opening for signature of the Convention and I anticipate that the question of signature by...

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question Number 114 of 6 April 2011 which indicated the following: "The Government Legislation Programme announced on 5 April 2011 indicates that the Mental Capacity Bill is expected to be published in late 2011. The Bill will reform the law on mental capacity taking into account the Law Reform Commission's Report on Vulnerable Adults and the Law. The Bill...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from the Garda authorities and I will contact him again when it is available.

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: The property in question is still in the ownership of the Department of Defence. It had been intended to transfer the property to the Local Authority under the Affordable Housing initiative. However following the cancellation of that initiative the Local Authority have advised the Department that they have no further interest in acquiring the property. Since then the Department has taken...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: The State Agencies under the remit of my Department are the Civil Defence Board, the Army Pensions Board and the Board of Coiste an Asgard. None of these are members of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: The following four post holders in my Department are authorised to use official credit cards: Private Secretary to Minister for Defence, Private Secretary to Minister of State at Department of Defence, Secretary-General of Department of Defence and the Human Resources Manager. The decision to issue an official credit card is made on the basis of the business need having regard to the...

Written Answers — Commemorative Events: Commemorative Events (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: A request has recently been referred to my Department, on behalf of the family in question, seeking permission to erect a plaque to commemorate Bartholomew Teeling who was executed in 1798. The Department is still considering the matter.

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 32 (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: Has the Deputy anything intelligent to say about the visit?

Requests to move Adjournment of Dáil under Standing Order 32 (17 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: After three minutes it would clearly be a waste of time to give the Deputy more.

Written Answers — Charities Regulation: Charities Regulation (12 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: I wish to inform the Deputy that Charities in Ireland have been unregulated since the foundation of the State. The purpose of the Charities Act 2009 is to enact a reform of the law relating to charities in order to ensure accountability and to protect against abuse of charitable status and fraud. It will also enhance public trust and confidence in charities and increase transparency in the...

Written Answers — International Terrorism: International Terrorism (12 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: While I receive regular briefings from the Garda Commissioner on security matters it is not the practice to disclose publicly the details of these briefings. I can assure the Deputy, however, that An Garda Síochána maintains close and regular contact with their counterparts in the United Kingdom in relation to a broad range of issues, including security and terrorism related issues.

Written Answers — Road Traffic Accidents: Road Traffic Accidents (12 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: Coroners are independent office holders with responsibility under the law - the Coroners Act 1962 - for the medicolegal investigation of the circumstances of sudden, unexplained, violent and unnatural deaths. That Act makes no reference to the disclosure of particular documentation to families prior to inquest. Disclosure is at the discretion of the coroner, having regard to the...

Written Answers — Visa Applications: Visa Applications (12 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will no doubt be aware of announcements in recent days in relation to the Government's Jobs Initiative. In conjunction with the Jobs Initiative, I announced yesterday in a speech to the Dáil details of a short term visa waiver scheme for visitors travelling to Ireland from the UK. This will be my Department's contribution to the range of supports and incentives which will be...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (12 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I expect to be in a position to publish a new Bill dealing with spent convictions before the Summer. While it is expected that the provisions in the Bill, when enacted, will be of some assistance to those emigrants with certain convictions seeking to work abroad, it should be noted that any person wishing to work in another country will continue to be...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (12 May 2011)

Alan Shatter: A valid application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's Question was received in the Citizenship Division of my Department in April 2010. The application is currently being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for decision as...