Results 16,221-16,240 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 and 259 together. I am informed by the Garda authorities that personnel across the organisation enforce the law in relation to the display of rear view number plates on heavy goods vehicles. PULSE records indicate the following number of prosecutions for failure to display a rear number plate on such vehicles for the years 2002, 2003 and 2004. Year No....

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: The person in question did not procure the site at Thornton. The site was offered to the Irish Prison Service. The role of the person in question did not change during the life of the expert committee. He acted as an adviser and liaised with the owners-agents of a number of the sites regarding price and other matters.

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Director General of the Irish Prison Service was of the view that there would be major operational difficulties if a new prison complex for the Dublin area was too far from the city, the other prisons, the courts and major access routes. In his view such operational difficulties would most likely arise if a site was further than eight kilometres outside the M50.

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: The price paid was the amount required to acquire a site suitable for the development of a new prison facility to allow the replacement of the Mountjoy Prison complex.

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 242 and 243 together. I understand that the committee considered and agreed what it considered to be the most relevant criteria in selecting a site and apportioned weightings on the basis of their judgment as to what was the relevant importance of each criterion.

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 and 245 together. Two members of the committee did visit the site but the committee did not consider it necessary for every member of the committee to visit all the sites which were considered suitable particularly when aerial photographs, detailed maps and engineering surveys were available. I do not accept that the committee rushed its consideration of...

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I have not visited the site in question. The impact of the development on the local area cannot be fully assessed until the plans for the complex have been finalised.

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: If a delegation from the group in question wishes to come in and meet with me and set out the issues it wishes to discuss, I would be happy to meet with the members.

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I am not aware of any legal proceedings initiated with regard to the site selected for a new prison facility to enable the replacement of the Mountjoy Prison complex nor am I aware of any grounds which would successfully support such an action. I am conscious that any major development by the State may, at some stage, be subject to legal challenge.

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 249 to 252, inclusive, together. The weighting for the selection criterion relating to public transport was not changed once it was agreed by the committee at its meeting on 9 July 2004. In any event as can be seen from the reports of the committee, it transpires that no site was ruled out solely because of failure to meet the public transport criterion...

Written Answers — Prisons Building Programme: Prisons Building Programme (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 253 and 254 together. A possible maximum of 15 out of a total 500 marks was allowed for the availability of emergency services. When reviewing this criterion, I understand that the committee took into account the existing location of services as well as planned road developments that may be completed when the new prison facility is likely to come into...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff. : Departmental Staff. (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I propose to take Questions Nos. 255 and 256 together. Assignments of responsibility under section 9 of the Public Service Management Act 1997 for the performance of functions in my Department have been made to named officers at assistant secretary level and include, where appropriate, requirements listed under section 9 (1) (a) to (f) of the Act. Given the very extensive range of functions...

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 and the Public Service Management Act 1997 set out the legal position of Government Ministers and Departments. Section 3 of the Public Service Management Act 1997 restates the responsibility of Ministers for the performance of functions which are assigned to his or her Department. Section 2 (1) of the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 provides that each...

Written Answers — Violence Against Women: Violence Against Women (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: An interdepartmental group, comprising the Government Departments with responsibilities in the area of violence against women, is currently being convened by my colleague, Deputy Fahey, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and chairperson of the national steering committee on violence against women, to discuss the roles, responsibilities and budgets...

Written Answers — Security Measures: Security Measures (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: On security grounds, it would not be appropriate for me to issue a detailed reply by way of a parliamentary question in this matter. However, I will write to the Deputy on this matter shortly.

Written Answers — Garda Operations: Garda Operations (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Garda authorities inform me that fingerprint evidence collected from crime scenes by scenes of crime examiners is submitted through the forensic liaison office by divisional liaison officers. Once evaluated and prioritised to determine the usefulness for identification, it is passed to the fingerprint section, where it is then searched against the automated fingerprint identification...

Written Answers — Road Traffic Offences: Road Traffic Offences (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to Question No. 137 of Thursday, 17 February 2005. The position remains unchanged.

Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: The Dublin city child care committee is one of the 33 city and county child care committees, CCCs, that were established as part of the quality measure under the equal opportunities child care programme, EOCP, to develop child care at local level. Including its 2005 allocation, Dublin city child care committee has received allocations totalling €1.55 million in EOCP funding since the start...

Written Answers — Travel Documentation: Travel Documentation (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: A replacement document was forwarded to the person concerned on 24 February 2005.

Written Answers — Deportation Orders: Deportation Orders (9 Mar 2005)

Michael McDowell: I refer the Deputy to the reply I gave to Question No. 164 on Thursday, 3 February 2005. The additional information submitted by the Deputy has been considered and the decision to deport remains unchanged.