Results 16,481-16,500 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Decentralisation Programme (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Despite my concerns about Army headquarters and Defence Forces headquarters being dispersed through five different locations, I have no doubt about the capacity of the Defence Forces to fulfil their duties and meet requirements. I am very impressed by their commitment. The senior military managers, the directors of specific corps such as transport, ordnance, communications, and so on, and...

Decentralisation Programme (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am not aware of serious operational issues. The current situation is inefficient and inappropriate and it is not favoured by the Defence Forces. Quite clearly we need centralised headquarters. My objective is to identify how that can be best achieved within the current difficult financial circumstances. I hope we will make some progress in the coming months to put in place a plan which...

Security and Defence Policy (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Ireland's international security and defence policy context is defined by our policy of military neutrality, an active political and operational role in support of the United Nations, our commitments to the United Nations stand-by arrangements system, our participation in the evolving Common Security and Defence Policy and our participation in NATO's Partnership for Peace. Ireland has...

Security and Defence Policy (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy is only trying to make mischief. I have set out quite clearly the Government position. The Deputy will be aware that a motion will be before the House on Thursday which deals with sending our troops to UNIFIL as part of a peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. We are complying with the application of the triple lock mechanism and we are in the third point of the triple lock...

Security and Defence Policy (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Ireland is part and parcel of the European security system in the context of contributing to and assisting in European Union contributions to peackeeping and humanitarian missions. That is part and parcel of a programme to which the Deputy's Government subscribed and which it supported. I find it unusual that the Deputy should have any issue about the matter.

Departmental Properties (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The Department of Defence has identified 33 properties for disposal. The properties are dispersed throughout the country. Their disposal will take account of market conditions to maximise the return to the Defence Forces and generate funding for reinvestment in equipment and infrastructure. The properties include married quarters located outside barracks, lands that are considered surplus...

Departmental Properties (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Agreement has been reached to sell 11 married quarters that are situated outside barracks to the occupants of those properties. Three areas of land in Kildare and two at Kilworth, County Cork, are to be disposed of to the National Roads Authority. Six properties in Kilworth, Lifford and Rockhill are being disposed of, partly to local authorities and partly to the Department of Education and...

Departmental Properties (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Perhaps it would take too much time to do so. The full details are available if the Deputy wishes to hear them.

Departmental Properties (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I understand there is no difficulty about that.

Emergency Planning (19 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Last Friday, I chaired my first meeting of the Government task force on emergency planning. When I was appointed as Minister for Defence, I discovered I was responsible for this area. The meeting, inter alia, reviewed the response to the most recent spell of severe weather. I am satisfied that a significant and important role was played by the Defence Forces during the emergency. While...

Written Answers — Garda Equipment: Garda Equipment (14 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 84 together. Information on these questions has been requested from the Garda authorities and I will revert to the Deputy when it is to hand.

Written Answers — Crime Levels: Crime Levels (14 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Following the submission in 2004 of a report and recommendations by an expert group on crime statistics, it was decided that the compilation and publication of crime statistics should be taken over by the Central Statistics Office, as the national statistical agency, from An Garda Síochána. The Garda Síochána Act 2005 consequently makes provision for this and the CSO has established a...

Written Answers — Liquor Licensing Laws: Liquor Licensing Laws (14 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the following table shows the number of premises in each Garda Division within the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) in respect of which An Garda Síochána lodged an objection against the issue of a special exemption order in each year from 2007 to 2010 and in 2011 to 13 April. Number of premises in each Garda Division within DMR in respect of...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (14 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The purpose of the Betting (Amendment) Bill 2011, to be published by the Minister for Finance, is to bring internet and telephone betting within the licensing provisions of the Betting Act, 1931. Provision has already been made in the Finance Act 2011 to tax such forms of betting, subject to the adoption of a licensing procedure. The Deputy may also be aware that a document entitled Options...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (14 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The number of whole-time equivalent staff in my Department, broken down by grade, for each of the years referred to by the Deputy is set out in the following table. As well as the usual mix of administrative grades found across the Civil Service, my Department has a range of professional and technical grades and these staff have been included under the heading "other" in the table. Grade...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (14 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I have set out in the following table the number by grade and rank of civil servants in the Department: Grade Title Number of Staff 1995 2000 2005 2010 Secretary General 1 1 1 1 Assistant Secretary 2 2 2 2 Head of Corporate Services / Director 1 1 1 1 Principal 8 11 12.8 11.6 Chief Technical Officer 1 1 0 0 Professional Accountant 1 1 0 1 Assistant Principal 25 25 30.5 29.7...

Written Answers — Prison Building Programme: Prison Building Programme (13 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: I can assure the Deputy that this Government is committed to addressing the issue of in-cell sanitation in line with the Government Programme for National Recovery. It is accepted that conditions at Cork Prison are less than ideal. Unfortunately, with limited resources in the present economic climate, it is likely that ambitious projects such as the development of new prison facilities at...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (13 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: A valid eligible 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 March 2011. The application is being processed in the normal way with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation and will be submitted to me for...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (13 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: The correspondence relates to a proposal for the introduction in Ireland of a blocking system in respect of websites containing child pornography. As the Deputy is no doubt aware, the internet is a worldwide phenomenon with no borders and no single organisation controlling it. There is, however, an existing self-regulatory framework for internet service providers (ISPs) in operation in...

Written Answers — Citizenship Applications: Citizenship Applications (13 Apr 2011)

Alan Shatter: Officials in the Citizenship section of my Department inform me that there is no record of an application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to in the Deputy's question. The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended, provides that the Minister may, in his absolute discretion, grant an application for a certificate of naturalisation provided certain...