Results 17,761-17,780 of 18,761 for speaker:Michael McDowell

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: They are all within easy access of Dublin city.

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: What was Deputy O'Keeffe's other question?

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: While it is difficult to put an exact value on the complex of buildings at Mountjoy in the context of redevelopment, I imagine it is somewhere between €40 million and €80 million. The cost of acquiring the land for a new premises would be possibly between €7 million and €15 million in current use terms.

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: Depending on what is built, the new buildings would cost approximately €100 million to €120 million.

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: It depends on how many cell spaces are put into the prison and its exact configuration. While I am not in a position to give an exact number at this stage, it would be substantially larger accommodation. There is also the question of the Dóchas women's centre, which is a high quality facility but grossly inadequate in terms of capacity for the needs for which it was established. I am sorry...

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: I am sorry. However, I wish to point out that there are questions surrounding the improvement of ancillary medical services.

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: The Prison Service will continue to run the facility as long as that is economically possible.

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: The execution shed at Mountjoy is a place where people sacrificed their lives for this country and where many brave people died for the creation of an independent Ireland. The Deputy has suggested one possible location for it. Another possibility would be to relocate it to Kilmainham. Deputy Ó Snodaigh's question trenches on the next question, which I do not want to anticipate. It would be...

Prisons Building Programme. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: There will be some form of transport.

Garda Equipment. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Garda Síochána possesses 408 laser speed detection units which were purchased between 1 December 1995 and 8 January 2002. All of these laser speed detection units were purchased strictly in accordance with national and EU public procurement guidelines. In all cases sanction was received from the Government contracts committee and the...

Garda Equipment. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: I am not responsible for the legislation to which the Deputy referred. As he rightly pointed out, that legislation was enacted after the equipment had been purchased. I am not conceding the point because I do not wish to throw away the Minister for Transport's legal case in this matter. As regards the Deputy's point that the Act does not reflect the nature of the equipment, I must point out...

Garda Equipment. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: I do not wish at this stage to concede the point that the Act has the meaning suggested by the Deputy.

Garda Equipment. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: It may be but I am not here to——

Garda Equipment. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: The Deputy spoke of hospital passes. It would be a large hospital pass for me to concede the correctness or incorrectness of any case which the Minister may be advised to bring to court. I assume Deputy O'Keeffe would agree it would be unfortunate if I were to do so. I am not side-stepping the issue. The Garda Síochána has certain functions under the Road Traffic Act. This is not the first...

Garda Equipment. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: I agree with the Deputy that if it turns out in court that the position is as suggested by him then, unfortunately, the equipment in use by the Garda at the time the law was changed was not comprehended by the terminology of the statute.

Presidential Visit. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: For obvious reasons, I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to go into the details of the security measures being put in place in respect of President Bush's visit later this month. The Deputy will appreciate the visit is one of the aspects of Ireland's Presidency of the European Union. It is customary that a meeting between the President of the United...

Presidential Visit. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: It would be invidious of me to vary the extent of security by reference to the perceived popularity or unpopularity of any foreign visitor or Head of State. As Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, I have a duty to uphold the rights of not just the individual concerned but the Irish people to conduct their international relations in an appropriate manner. As I stated in my reply, the...

Presidential Visit. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: Given the circumstances of the operation being put in place by members of the Garda Síochána, it is a gesture of courtesy and politeness on its part to do some homework so the tactics used to uphold security on the ground will not be unnecessarily heavy-handed or unmindful of the wishes of the inhabitants of the area in question. There is nothing sinister about the operation and the Garda...

Citizenship Referendum. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: The Irish Human Rights Commission produced a 32-page document of observations on which it would not be possible for me in the limited time available for parliamentary questions to give a detailed response. I propose to concentrate on the principal points made in those observations. In summary, the commission asserts that being an Irish citizen makes the enjoyment of human rights in the State...

Citizenship Referendum. (1 Jun 2004)

Michael McDowell: Implicit in the Deputy's line of argument is that a child who came into this country with his non-national parents and who is in a playground standing beside a young Irish child born to Irish parents has different fundamental protections under our Constitution than the other child. I reject that suggestion. Despite the 32-page document and the conclusions of the Children's Rights Alliance,...