Written Answers Nos. 240-250
240. Deputy Shane Ross asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the total cost to the taxpayer of paying the aggregate fees, salaries and any other remuneration to directors of all State bodies, to include majority State owned banks, all public interest directors, all semi-State bodies, all State agencies and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15412/13]
View answerI am interpreting the Deputy’s question in the following manner so as to provide the information which I believe he is seeking. The term State Boards is somewhat imprecise as it includes bodies with a wide and diverse range of functions many of which would not fall into the more commonly understood definition of Board which is a body with a governance oversight of an organisation. To be of assistance to the Deputy I have interpreted "Directors" to mean people who are on Boards of State Bodies under the aegis of my Department and who have governance oversight of the organisation under their remit.
Therefore, I am to advise the Deputy that the total of €526,738 was paid in respect of fees, salaries and other remuneration during 2012. Finally, the Deputy should note that the costs of some of the bodies under the aegis of my Department are covered in whole or in part by fee income from their activities.
241. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress to date in respect of determination of application for residency status in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15426/13]
View answerThe person concerned is a failed asylum applicant. Arising from the refusal of her asylum application, and in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 (as amended), the person concerned was notified, by letter dated 27th February, 2009, that the then Minister proposed to make a Deportation Order in respect of her. She was given the options, to be exercised within 15 working days, of leaving the State voluntarily, of consenting to the making of a Deportation Order or of making representations to the then Minister setting out the reasons why a Deportation Order should not be made against her. In addition, she was notified of her entitlement to apply for subsidiary protection in accordance with the provisions of the European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations 2006.
The person concerned initiated judicial review proceedings in the High Court, challenging the decision of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal in her case. As these proceedings are ongoing, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on the case of the person concerned at this time.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from the INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
242. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the amount of money spent annually on taxi services by the Garda Síochána in each region over the past two years, 2011 and 2012. [15436/13]
View answerThe Garda Commissioner is the Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote. In that context, I am informed by the Garda authorities that details of the expenditure incurred by An Garda Síochána on taxi services are not recorded separately and would require a disproportionate amount of Garda resources to compile. In the circumstances I regret that I am not in a position to provide the information sought by the Deputy.
243. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the amount of money spent on vehicle maintenance in each Garda region in 2012. [15437/13]
View answerThe arrangements made in relation to the maintenance of Garda transport are a matter for the Garda Commissioner and the Commissioner is the Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote. In that context, I am informed by the Garda authorities that the maintenance costs for Garda vehicles broken down by Region, including the provision of spare parts, tyres and towing, for 2012 were as set out in the following table:
|
Region |
Expenditure |
|
DMR |
€2,864,261 |
|
Southern |
€1,770,606 |
|
Eastern |
€1,114,539 |
|
Northern |
€948,247 |
|
South Eastern |
€935,522 |
|
Western |
€900,076 |
|
National Units |
€2,170,180 |
244. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he intends resurrecting the Garda Reserve Force in order that their hours may be used at more beneficial times, such as St. Patrick's Day parades or sporting events, which would mean less rostering of full members at these times. [15438/13]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the detailed allocation of all resources, including Garda Reservists, throughout the organisation is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner in consultation with his senior management and I have no direct function in this matter. On 28 February 2013, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were over 1,000 Garda Reserves throughout the country.
The range of powers and duties of Reserve Gardaí is a matter for the Garda Commissioner to determine under section 15 (5) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. Such duties include policing at the outer cordon of major events such as festivals and major sporting events.
245. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda stations under the ownership of his Department; the number under the ownership of the Office of Public Works; and if any are owned by any other State agency. [15440/13]
View answer246. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the total cost of property maintenance of Garda stations owned by his Department on a station basis for 2012. [15441/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 245 and 246 together.
In relation to the Garda stations operating in the State, the details are provided on the Garda Síochána website and I would refer the Deputy to the relevant webpage at www.garda.ie.
The general position is that the properties which serve as Garda stations are owned or leased, on behalf of the State, by the Office of Public Works. However, a limited number of Garda stations are vested in the Minister for Justice and Equality and the stations concerned are Midleton, Kenmare, Callan, Urlingford, Dundalk, Castleblaney, Trim and Waterford.
The Garda Commissioner is the Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote. In that context I have been informed by the Garda authorities that financial operating cost statements are not maintained at Garda station level. In the circumstances the Deputy will appreciate that the specific financial information he has sought is not readily available and I understand that the provision of such information would require a disproportionate amount of Garda time and resources which are required for other purposes.
247. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality arising from the Government decision in 2011 not to provide State cars for Ministers and other senior and retired persons, the number of cars that were involved for this purpose at the time of decision; the number of cars that are currently in use for this purpose; the number of the cars that were sold; the make, year and sale proceeds of each car; the number of cars, make and year of any cars that have not yet been sold; the number, make and purchase price of any car that has been purchased since the Government decision; the number of gardaí who drove these cars that retired on foot of this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15451/13]
View answerI have sought the relevant information from the Garda authorities and I will contact the Deputy further in relation to this matter as soon as possible.
248. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the methods that will be used to identify and protect minors in relation to gambling issues; the number of Gardai inspections that have taken place since the establishment of the casino gaming controls section of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15463/13]
View answerI expect to be in a position quite soon to provide the information sought by the Deputy on the methods to be used to identify and protect minors in relation to gambling. However, I am unable to do so at this point since I have not yet obtained the Government's approval for my proposals. The proposals are in the General Scheme of the proposed Gambling Control Bill which I hope to present to the Government within the coming weeks. I plan to make the Scheme available on my Department's website once it has been approved.
I can, however, say at this stage that the new legislation will strengthen the protections available to consumers generally, with additional measures being included that are aimed at protecting vulnerable persons; that term refers primarily to persons under 18 years and to persons who have developed gambling problems, including addiction.
I envisage a new inspection team whose major task will be to monitor compliance by licence holders with the terms of their licence and with the new legislation generally. It will have strong enforcement powers. Licence holders, for their part, will be required to train staff on how to spot problem or excessive gambling and on how and when to intervene.There will be prohibitions on the employment of young persons, they will not be permitted to participate in gambling, there will be arrangements for age verification checks.
I believe that the industry must accept greater responsibility for the down - side of gambling. One of the ways in which this will be done is to require licence holders to contribute to a social responsibility fund, the aim of the fund being to support research, education and treatment programmes. I will also be proposing restrictions on advertising, promoting and sponsoring of events by licence holders if these activities are targeted at young people.
The examples I have mentioned give an indication of the comprehensive scale of the planned measures. However, we are all aware that regardless of whatever the law might provide, there will be particular difficulties in enforcing age and identity checks in the case of online gambling, much of which will be done from home. It therefore seems clear to me that the effective enforcement of rules and procedures for online gambling will require the active involvement of parents and others, particularly teachers. This may mean that parents must monitor the young person's internet and telephone usage and they must never share their PIN or similar number with anyone under 18 years.
I have requested information on the number of inspections by Gardaí of gaming establishments. I will communicate with the Deputy when it becomes available.
The Deputy's question appears to suggest some linkage between the discharge by the Gardai of their functions and the existence of a particular unit in my Department. It is very important that there should be clarity about the respective roles and functions of the Gardaí and of the named unit, or any other part of the Department. I have already referred to the creation of, in effect, a new, dedicated inspectorate under the new legislation; it will probably take over many of the roles currently assigned to the Gardaí and others. However, pending the enactment and coming into force of the new systems, the enforcement of the current law will continue to be a matter primarily for the Garda Síochána, although the Revenue Commissioners also have certain functions. The Garda Síochána is, of course, independent in the discharge of the duties imposed on it by law. It makes its own determinations on operational grounds, taking account of general priorities, the resources available and other relevant factors.
The Casino and Gaming Control Section in my Department, on the other hand, has no function in relation to law enforcement. Its functions include advising me of developments in the sector, formulating general policy, conducting consultations, such as the public consultation in 2010, the preparation of draft legislation, as well as specific statutory functions such as the preparation of Certificates of Personal Fitness in the case of certain applicants for bookmakers' licences under the Betting Act 1931. The Section operates in accordance with the practices and procedures applicable to the public service generally.
249. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding a naturalisation application in respect of a person (details supplied); the current processing times for such applications; when a decision will be reached in this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15478/13]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy in February, 2012.
The application is being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation, such as good character and lawful residence, and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. Excellent progress continues to be made in reducing the large volume of cases on hands, with some 47,000 applications decided since I came to office, many within 6 months of receipt. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that for a broad range of reasons some cases will take longer than others to process. It is a statutory requirement that, inter alia, applicants for naturalisation be of good character. In some instances that can be established relatively quickly and in other cases completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
As well as being a significant event in the life of its recipient, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation as provided for in law is also a major step for the State which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
250. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding a naturalisation application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny; the current processing times for such applications; when a decision will be reached in this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15479/13]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that a valid application for a certificate of naturalisation was received from the person referred to by the Deputy in February, 2012.
The application is being processed with a view to establishing whether the applicant meets the statutory conditions for the granting of naturalisation, such as good character and lawful residence, and will be submitted to me for decision as expeditiously as possible. Excellent progress continues to be made in reducing the large volume of cases on hands, with some 47,000 applications decided since I came to office, many within 6 months of receipt. However, the nature of the naturalisation process is such that for a broad range of reasons some cases will take longer than others to process. It is a statutory requirement that, inter alia, applicants for naturalisation be of good character. In some instances that can be established relatively quickly and in other cases completing the necessary checks can take a considerable period of time.
As well as being a significant event in the life of its recipient, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation as provided for in law is also a major step for the State which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
