Results 41-60 of 104 for garda speaker:Niall Ó Donnghaile

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (18 Sep 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: I do not doubt that the Garda has to monitor that, nor am I questioning that responsibility on the Commissioner's part or on the part of the Garda Síochána. What I am questioning is how individual officers define whose papers they will check when they board these vehicles. I do not question the professionalism or the friendliness of individual gardaí whom I have witnessed get...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Bill 2019: Second Stage (12 Jul 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...the Kingsmill massacre and the case of Arlene Arkinson. It is important for this legislation to be expedited if it can assist with those inquests. The Bill primarily facilitates the co-operation of An Garda Síochána with coroners' inquests and allows gardaí to give statements. It appears that the mechanism provided is as tight as it needs to be as it relates to the...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: I move amendment No. 1:In page 5, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:“(6) (a) Where a decision is made by the Garda Commissioner to refuse in full or in part the request for assistance, the Coroner who made the request may seek a review of this decision by a Judge of the High Court. (b) The request for a review shall be made in writing to the President of the High Court,...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Bill 2019: Committee and Remaining Stages (12 Jul 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...previous vote and having heard the will of the House, I understand where Members stand. It is, however, important to make the point in respect of amendments Nos. 2 and 3 that there are already powers in the Garda Síochána Act for the force to enter into agreements with police in other jurisdictions. The legislation before us provides for the Garda to enter into agreements with...

Seanad: Criminal Justice (Public Order) (Amendment) Bill 2019: Second Stage (26 Jun 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...way with a lot of the societal realities that exist and that present very real threats to our emergency service professionals. That said, of course there are other instances in which members of An Garda Síochána or people who work in our hospitals have found themselves under threat from thugs, people who are just out to wreck and ruin. They should face the full rigours of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (26 Jun 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: The garda.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (26 Jun 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...the 1980s. The Commissioner has apologised to her, which is an appropriate and positive move. Has he examined whether there are other cases similar to Majella Moynihan's? Is that something the Garda is investigating internally? My other question relates to recent public commentary and concern in respect of cybercrime, and the resourcing of cybercrime.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Garda Reform and Related Issues: Discussion (26 Jun 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...There have also been 11,554 charges brought under the operation to date for a range of offences including burglary, handling of stolen property, possession of firearms and drug offences. According to Garda statistics, there have been 34,461 searches, 96,997 intelligence reports and over 356,000 patrols over the same period. Garda figures further show that there have been almost 300,000...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (13 Jun 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...gangsterism. As a result, there has been a devastating impact on communities. There have been six gang-related murders so far this year, with three in one week, and several more foiled by the work of the Garda. There were 77 homicides in 2018, 185 arrests for possession of firearms and 89 charges of discharging a firearm. Between 2016 and 2017 a total of 22 people died in gang-related...

Seanad: Offences against the State (Amendment) Act 1998 and Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009: Motions (13 Jun 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: It is relevant to the Bill. In any event, I am of the view that this is far too modest, and that we should be aiming for in excess of 16,000 gardaí. In the last four months of 2018 there was an embargo on overtime in the Garda. We have seen a 40% reduction in community policing. The South has one of the lowest police-to-population ratios in Europe with 278 gardaí per 100,000...

Seanad: Civil Liability (Capping of General Damages Bill) 2019: Second Stage (28 Mar 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...laid down by the Court of Appeal and by the Supreme Court, which must be applied in calculating the appropriate level of general damages for any personal injury. The case concerned a claim by a Garda for compensation in respect of a soft-tissue injury to his hand. Counsel for the applicant, in reliance on the book of quantum, suggested an award of €21,700. The court ultimately...

Seanad: Land and Conveyancing Law Reform (Amendment) Bill 2019: Second Stage (27 Mar 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...contrasted with such decisions as I outlined above. The Government is essentially giving crumbs to the homeowner on the one hand and giving banks and vultures a feast with the other. I wish to conclude by briefly commenting on the role of the Garda, and the perception of it assisting unregulated bailiffs in making repossessions on behalf of the lender. I understand that this issue is...

Seanad: Defence Matters: Statements (27 Feb 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...or no collective bargaining rights, are prohibited from joining or affiliating with trade unions and cannot strike. Sinn Féin has proposed legislation to provide collective bargaining rights for the Defence Forces and gardaí. The European Committee of Social Rights upheld a case taken by PDFORRA, which represents the ordinary rank and file membership of the Defence Forces, to...

Seanad: Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2018: Second Stage (13 Feb 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: .... Generally speaking, there is a lack of public confidence in the State's institutions with a direct responsibility for keeping the public safe, namely, the police and the Judiciary. There is an urgent need for An Garda Síochána to modernise its IT systems to ensure that its capacity to record data is accurate, fit for purpose and helps to arrest and convict criminals. This...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Interim Report on Review of Youth Referrals: An Garda Síochána (13 Feb 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...that I raised the issue of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in his most recent appearance before the committee. One of the ongoing demands of the families of the victims and survivors is that the Garda receive all of the information it has requested from the PSNI. I was told at the time that had I furnished it in the form of a question before the last meeting, the Commissioner could have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Interim Report on Review of Youth Referrals: An Garda Síochána (13 Feb 2019)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: What about the Dublin and Monaghan investigations and the request by An Garda Síochána for information from the PSNI? Is Mr. Harris content that he has furnished all the relevant information?

Seanad: Order of Business (20 Dec 2018)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: Of An Garda Síochána.

Seanad: Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018: Second Stage (24 Oct 2018)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...an effective deterrent. It is not unusual – I realise that sounds like a song – in court cases in both the civil and criminal courts for the judge in summing up to dismiss a person's evidence as lacking credibility. In some cases judges go as far as to state that the witness, who may be a garda witness, lied under oath. Sometimes, a judge will add a recommendation that the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Future Direction of An Garda Síochána: Garda Commissioner (24 Oct 2018)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: ...scale. In response to Deputy Ó Laoghaire the Commissioner was almost blasé about concerns about the sharing of information cross-Border. He lauded the existing arrangements between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána in dealing with these issues. It is good to hear that because it is pertinent to my questions. The families of victims and survivors are still seeking the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality: Future Direction of An Garda Síochána: Garda Commissioner (24 Oct 2018)

Niall Ó Donnghaile: I appreciate the response and would appreciate receiving such an update. However, families will be quite unsettled by the fact that this level of senior management in An Garda Síochána is not alert to the current status of the case.