Results 1,861-1,880 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps Strength (6 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The attached table contains the strength, of the Air Corps by rank for each of the years 2009 to 2013. I wish to advise the Deputy that the strength figures for the period 2009 - 2012 include personnel who were on secondment to, and being paid by other organisations, or on career breaks. The 31 December 2013 strength figures have been calculated on the basis of actual numbers serving on that...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Strength (6 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I am advised by the Military Authorities that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force, at 31 December 2013, the latest date for which details are available, was 9,236, comprising 7,434 Army, 779 Air Corps and 1,023 Naval Service personnel. This is against the agreed stabilised strength for the Permanent Defence Force of 9,500. No specific weaknesses have been brought to my attention. I...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (6 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capacity of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible. Primary responsibility for the maintenance of law and order including the protection of the internal security of the State rests with An Garda Síochána. However, one of the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Personnel Data (6 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The attached tables contain the strength of Women in the Permanent Defence Force, broken down into Army, Air Corps and Naval Service for each of the years 2009 to 2013. The Government is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces and to the full participation by women in all aspects of Defence Forces activities. Unlike many other national...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Naval Service Strength (6 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The attached table at Annex A outlines the total number of promotions, male and female, at all ranks that have taken place within the Naval Service within the past three years to date as advised by the Military Authorities. Please note that the 2012 figures have been updated and differ slightly from those given in reply to Question Number 419 of 18 June 2013. A number of promotions are...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Air Corps Equipment (6 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I am advised that there are a total of 27 aircraft operating from Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. Of this total, 3 aircraft are operated by the Air Corps for An Garda Siochana related activities, namely two EC 135 Helicopters and 1 Fixed Wing Defender 4000 aircraft. The remaining 24 aircraft, 16 Fixed Wing and 8 Rotary, are available to the Air Corps. The sixteen Fixed Wing aircraft are made...

Written Answers — Department of Defence: Defence Forces Operations (6 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I am satisfied that both the Air Corps and Naval Service have the necessary resources to meet their operational requirements in this important area. Government measures to improve law enforcement in relation to drugs, including the establishment in 1993 of a Joint Task Force involving An Garda Síochána, the Customs Service and the Naval Service, have helped to maximise the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Small Claims and Payment Procedures: Motion (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I will take the last question first. Yes, once these facilities are available to help people resolve small claims disputes, it is important to have the maximum public knowledge of them. Some of the consumer bodies publicise this from time to time. It is not an issue that generates major media excitement. The problem in publicising anything nowadays is that unless something arises that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Small Claims and Payment Procedures: Motion (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: In respect of the legal profession, the design of the Small Claims Court is such that people are not represented. There is an informal procedure to facilitate a resolution or adjudication on matters. One argument is that if one is dealing with claims at that level, to protect people’s rights they should have legal representation, or the facility for that, but the moment legal...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Small Claims and Payment Procedures: Motion (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The low take-up across the EU is principally because the availability of this facility is not known in many member states. There is also an issue where oral hearings are required. Individuals may not want to travel and incur the expense of such hearings for small claims. The cost of travel and accommodation may offset any benefit to be accrued by engaging in this procedure, which is why...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Small Claims and Payment Procedures: Motion (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I thank the Chairman. At the outset I thank the committee members for their willingness to deal with this matter today, at short notice. It is important that Ireland is seen to be in a position to play a full part in the negotiations which have begun in regard to this instrument, and a positive response to the motion which has been tabled will facilitate our achieving that objective. The...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: What is happening in Syria is a humanitarian disaster and tragedy of epic proportions. It is unfortunate that the recent talks did not produce any successful outcome or indicator that this conflict might come to an end. Upheaval and conflict in Syria has witnessed the phenomenon of individuals travelling from Europe to the fighting. The motives for individuals travelling to Syria vary from...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: Across Europe there are various estimates as to the numbers from different EU member states who have travelled to participate in this conflict. We estimate between 25 and 30 Irish residents have travelled there for that purpose. Some have lost their lives in this conflict. A whole range of particular issues arise for this State and the EU member states. It is a matter of great concern...

Other Questions: Penal Policy Review Group Report (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: First, as I indicated to the Deputy, we are already along the road towards implementing a series of the proposals. As he knows, one of my objectives and hopes during the lifetime of the Government is that we would also put the parole board on a statutory footing. That is another important measure I hope we will have the opportunity to address, but because of the legislative programme I know...

Other Questions: Crime Prevention (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: Serious crime is being tackled aggressively by An Garda Síochána, with all the necessary resources deployed to the investigation and prosecution of murders related to the activities of criminal gangs. The organised criminal activity which gives rise to this violence is being targeted by An Garda Síochána across a number of fronts, including through the use of focused...

Other Questions: Crime Prevention (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: As the Deputy knows, there is a concern surrounding individuals on bail committing offences. That is the first issue. Where one is on bail and commits an offence, of itself that is a separate offence. In circumstances where this occurs and individuals are brought before the courts it is a matter for the Judiciary to decide whether sentences imposed are concurrent or consecutive. There is...

Other Questions: Crime Prevention (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: There are certain constitutional and human rights parameters within which the Government and the Legislature have to operate. We are looking at the legislation and how best to approach it. In the case of repeat offenders, of an individual who, for example, has been convicted a number of times, served a sentence, paid a fine or done community service and then offends again, following a...

Other Questions: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy has just provided an example of why we need an independent DPP that is not subject to reporting to Parliament or to a Minister, who can make prosecutorial decisions based on the obligations of his or her office under the provisions contained in relevant legislation, and who cannot be pressurised in Parliament by any Deputy on any particular case or issue. The Deputy classically...

Other Questions: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: -----raising specific cases and making comment that could be prejudicial in circumstances where court proceedings exist. Instead of the DPP's office carrying out its role, we would have a government forced to interfere politically. That is exactly what we do not need. It would be contrary to the public interest. I would like to draw the Deputy's attention to the Venice Commission's 2010...

Other Questions: Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy was speaking of two specific cases.