Results 81-100 of 261 for garda speaker:Colm Burke

Seanad: Order of Business (10 Oct 2017)

Colm Burke: ...in relation to the late Liam Cosgrave who made a huge contribution to this country in difficult times. During the ceremony, there were interesting references to Liam Cosgrave's support for the Garda and the Garda's support for him. At an extremely difficult time, this played a major part in making sure we had peace in this country. Liam Cosgrave made a major contribution in this whole...

Seanad: Controlled Drugs and Harm Reduction Bill 2017: Second Stage (Resumed) (31 May 2017)

Colm Burke: ...the intention is to decriminalise possession of controlled drugs where they are for personal use. The Bill makes provision for circumstances in which a person exceeds the maximum amount for personal use, providing An Garda Síochána with a range of measures where the person is a repeat offender. Possession of controlled drugs for the purpose of resale and supply will continue to...

Seanad: Courts (No. 2) Bill 2016: Second Stage (9 May 2017)

Colm Burke: ...of State and the Bill. As other colleagues said, it is very technical. I hope it will streamline the system in dealing with a lot of issues which end up in the courts and consume a huge amount of Garda time that could be avoided. I welcome the third payment option, whereby if a person does not pay the fine when a summons is issued, he or she can do so without having to go to court,...

Seanad: Order of Business (5 Apr 2017)

Colm Burke: .... I wrote to the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, asking her to request the coroner to hold an inquest. The Minister has the power to do so. As a result of that letter, the Garda called to the family and took DNA samples from the father to see if the DNA matches with bodies which have been discovered on the coasts of Wales and Scotland with a view to bringing a...

Seanad: Order of Business (29 Mar 2017)

Colm Burke: I agree with my colleagues on some aspects of their criticism of the current difficulties with the Garda. There has been debate about the lack of trust but one issue that has not been highlighted is that there will now be a difficulty accepting the evidence of gardaí in courts. It is important to resolve the Garda's current difficulties at a very early stage, in particular, where...

Seanad: Establishment of a Tribunal of Inquiry: Motion (16 Feb 2017)

Colm Burke: ....I also welcome the fact that we are now proceeding with this matter. Trust and credibility are two words that have consistently come up in all the debate and discussion in recent months. For the Garda to work efficiently, the general public must have trust in it and the force must be credible. I am of the view that it has been affected by all of the issues that have arisen over the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Feb 2017)

Colm Burke: ...taken so long for this issue to be dealt with within Tusla and why something of this nature has been left to fester. That is exactly what has happened. It has been left to fester within both the Garda and Tusla. The sooner the public tribunal is set up and the issues are fully aired, the better. If information comes through that people were involved deliberately in trying to muddy a...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Stations (7 Feb 2017)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to deal with the matter of the Garda station in Glanmire. The building used was an RIC barracks which was burned down during the Civil War and refurbished. It is totally out of date. It has no showers, changing rooms, interview rooms or wheelchair access. In May 2010, an advertisement was placed in the newspapers looking for a suitable...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Garda Stations (7 Feb 2017)

Colm Burke: The problem I have is that this matter was advertised in 2010. It is now 2017 and I am concerned that seven years have been lost. As I outlined, there is a growing population and a totally inapt Garda station. Could any commitment be given to prioritise the works in view the seven-year delay? I am glad to hear the position on the legal proceedings. I am surprised a process such as this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of Misuse of Drugs (Supervised Injecting Facilities) Bill 2016: Discussion (30 Nov 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank all the delegates for their comprehensive presentations. Following on from Deputy O'Brien's comments on head 10, if there is not provision for gardaí to enter a centre, do the Garda delegates see major disadvantages in that from their perspective? The witnesses referred to intimidation and people who may be afraid to report. If there is a change to head 10 such that there is...

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Oct 2016)

Colm Burke: ...debate in the media on the fact that it is the taxpayer rather than the Government who must pay increased costs in the public service. We must be careful about how we report matters. Additional gardaí have been recruited and trained and the Government has made a commitment to recruit more. It should be noted that the Garda Training College in Templemore was closed by the Government...

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Report and Final Stages (30 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: ...of State for introducing the legislation and hope it will be passed. I also hope the regulations required on foot of the Bill will be introduced as expeditiously as possible in order that the Garda has powers to deal with people who are pushing drugs on innocent people.

Seanad: Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill 2016: Second Stage (23 Jun 2016)

Colm Burke: ...does and this Bill also does that. The Minister is setting out clear guidelines in respect of the management of the drugs sold illegally and making sure the necessary powers are in place for the Garda and other authorities to deal with them. This demonstrates how the drugs culture changes by the day. A number of months ago, a 16 year old in transition year was in my office in Dublin and...

Seanad: Prison Bill 2015: [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil] Report and Final Stages (16 Dec 2015)

Colm Burke: ...fact, over 50% of all arrests for committal to prison, where people are going into the prison system, are for non-payment of fines. That will all stop, and rightly so. It has been a huge waste of Garda time as well. At least now we are setting up the proper structures to deal with this through attachment of earnings. Hopefully, it will reduce the amount of Garda time spent on this...

Seanad: Order of Business (15 Dec 2015)

Colm Burke: ...of such people. This is a welcome development, particularly at a time when over 50% of those admitted to our prisons are admitted for non-payment of fines. Approximately 89,000 warrants are with the Garda to be executed for non-payment of fines. We should have implemented this significant change a long time ago. I am delighted this measure is coming into place on 11 January next....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Early School Leavers (25 Nov 2015)

Colm Burke: ...Oberstown, the cost would be €350,000 for the student for the year. By putting adequate funding into this facility, it can look after 45 children who otherwise would be on the street. The centre has the support of the local Garda and all the services. Even the school attendance officers are referring children the Cork Life Centre because the children do not fit into the school...

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: ...conviction rate is higher than 68%. This raises very serious questions about how summonses are prosecuted, including whether there is a defect in the manner in which they are presented by the Garda, whether there is a defect in how they are being dealt with by the courts or whether we have an extremely efficient and hardworking legal profession in some parts of the country and not in...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Oct 2015)

Colm Burke: I, too, wish to join in the expressions of sympathy. Garda Golden was the 88th garda to die on duty in 93 years. It is one death too many. Like the late Garda Golden, every one of the gardaí who have died over the years served the force well. It is extremely sad. It is important that we convey our sympathies to his wife, Nicola, and to his immediate family. I also would like to...

Seanad: Order of Business (2 Jul 2015)

Colm Burke: I agree with Senators who have expressed concern about the protest yesterday and compliment the members of the Garda on the manner in which they dealt with it. In fairness to them, they put up with a lot of abuse and threats and managed very well in a difficult situation. I do not think any garda should have to put up with the abuse endured yesterday. On the matter of social welfare...

Seanad: Children (Amendment) Bill 2015: Second Stage (14 May 2015)

Colm Burke: ...children getting into difficulty, one of the concerns I have is whether, before they get into the court system, we have adequate procedures and supports in place for those coming to the notice of gardaí. It is an area in which I have worked in Cork for over 20 years, having been involved in facilities where a large number of the people would have dropped out of school at a very early...