Results 1,881-1,900 of 19,162 for speaker:Alan Shatter

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

Alan Shatter: I thought the Deputy knew the answer to the question she is raising, but I think she is only raising the question to grab a headline. If the DPP or anybody else does not comply with court orders, he or she is accountable to the court. Are there court procedures in place to deal with any individual engaged in litigation of any description, be it civil or criminal, against whom it is alleged...

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

Alan Shatter: I would like to thank the joint committee for their hard work on this matter and for their report which was published last March, which we touched upon recently in a meeting of the select justice committee. In summary, the joint committee report recommended that prison numbers be reduced; that prison sentences of less than six months be commuted; that standard remission be increased from one...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Oversight (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I find it ironic that the Deputy should continue to advocate a structure that has been removed in England and Wales.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Oversight (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: When I was spokesperson on justice, one of the issues in the debate about whether there should be a separate police authority or police board was substantially influenced by the approach taken in the United Kingdom. That has proved to be an approach in which there is a lack of democratic accountability. The Policing Board in Northern Ireland has been created for particular and unique...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Oversight (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I have no idea how we can provide funding for our police service that is separate from Government, does not take account of budgetary issues and does not appear in the Estimates that can be carefully examined, as they were only a few days ago at the Oireachtas Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. The Deputy is saying that a police authority could magic up from some...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Oversight (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy has made the case that the Commissioner conceals cutbacks in smart policing. Smart policing, the careful use of resources in circumstances where the strength of the Garda force has unfortunately been reduced because of the economic difficulties of this State, has resulted in a substantial reduction in crime in 12 out of the 14 categories of crime. Targeted policing has produced...

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

Alan Shatter: Independence for prosecutors is a key principle underpinning the rule of law in the international standards set by the Council of Europe, the UN and the International Association of Prosecutors. The independence of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is set out in section 2(5) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1974 which states: “The Director shall be independent in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Judicial Appointments (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy will be aware that, under the Constitution, judges are appointed by the President on the advice of the Government. The current process for the appointment of judges is set out in sections 12 to 17, inclusive, of the Courts and Court Officers Act 1995 which established the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board. Under the existing system of judicial appointments, the board submits...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Judicial Appointments (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The Deputy is right that we are not proposing any constitutional change. The great merit of the current position is that it is the Government or the Minister - it would end up coming to me, as Minister for Justice and Equality - who is ultimately accountable to the Dáil should an appointment be made that clearly is not appropriate. I want to repeat what I have said previously, that...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Judicial Appointments (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: Under the legislation in place since 1995, the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board has had the capacity to interview applicants for judicial appointment. It has been said judicial appointments should only be made on merit. I totally agree and it has been my view for many years, well before I was appointed Minister. In government we have sought to make appointments based on merit. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Garda Oversight (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: It is of crucial importance that the Garda Síochána be operationally independent but also democratically accountable. The Garda Síochána Act 2005 seeks to achieve these objectives by specifying the functions of the Garda Commissioner and the force, on the one hand, and the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Government and the Houses of the Oireachtas, on the other....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: Let us deal with a few matters. Deputy Wallace obviously read from a pre-prepared note and chose not to listen to what I said earlier.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I would not expect him to conduct himself any differently from normal in respect of these issues. As already stated, during the past nine months we have been conducting a review of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. I also stated that we will be bringing forward amendments in order to address matters with which the Garda Ombudsman Commission has been dealing in order to address some...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: In fairness to them, Deputies Niall Collins and Mac Lochlainn-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: -----acknowledge the very important and substantial work done by members of the force. I wish to congratulate the force on very important arrests that took place in the past 24 hours.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: I do not want to say anything further about them but they are the subject of reports in today's newspapers.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: The arrests in question relate to individuals who, it is alleged, committed a number burglaries across the country. Perhaps the Deputy might, for once, acknowledge-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: -----that, regardless of procedural and other difficulties that arose on this issue-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: -----we have a police force-----

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Penalty Points System (5 Feb 2014)

Alan Shatter: -----of which we can be proud. The members of that force are doing their duty and in the past 24 hours many of them have been out in the floods helping to ensure the safety of members of the public.