Written Answers Nos. 446-468
447. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of marked Garda squad cars that are based in Balbriggan Garda station in north County Dublin; his plans for more marked squad cars to be added to the Balbriggan fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16407/14]
View answerThe provision and allocation of Garda transport is a matter for the Garda Commissioner in the context of identified operational requirements and the availability of resources.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that on 1 April 2014 there were 9 vehicles allocated to the Balbriggan Garda District, including 2 marked cars and 3 patrol vans.
Garda management closely monitors the allocation of all policing resources and operational strategies in place on a District and Divisional level to ensure that the optimum Garda service is provided to the public. In addition, the Garda authorities have informed me that the current policing arrangements for the DMR North Division, which includes the Balbriggan District, make the best use of available resources. Moreover, the Garda authorities have indicated that the needs of the Division will continue to be examined on an on-going basis.
As the Deputy will be aware, I recently secured a further €9m for investment in the Garda fleet. This investment resulted in the purchase of 305 new Garda vehicles towards the end of 2013, at a cost of €5 million. I am advised by the Garda authorities that these new vehicles are currently being allocated across Garda Divisions in accordance with operational requirements throughout the country, including the DMR North Division.
450. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on the implementation of the Charities Act 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16453/14]
View answerOn 1st March 2014, I designated Ms. Úna Ní Dhubhghaill as the first Chief Executive of the new Charities Regulatory Authority which is to be established under the Charities Act of 2009. This appointment is an important step towards our goal of establishing the new Charities Regulatory Authority within 2014. The Charities Act gives us the framework we need to increase transparency and accountability across the charities sector and to support the good practice that is essential to a strong and vibrant charities sector. We can now move forward with establishing the Office of the Authority and putting its Board in place over the coming weeks, so that it can begin operation later in the year in line with the commitment made by the Government.
An early priority for the new Authority will be the preparation and publication of a statutory register of charities. All registered charities will be required to provide reports to the Authority each year on their activities and these reports will be made available to the public. This will provide a much needed increase in transparency and accountability in the charitable sector, and will support the good practice in charity governance and management that is critical to a vibrant charity sector that commands the trust and confidence of donors and beneficiaries alike.
451. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if an Egyptian citizen legally residing in an EU member state within the Schengen area for PhD research, who gets a short or long stay visa for Ireland through the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service for visiting academic purposes, is entitled to use the same visa for entry to the UK for similar purposes; if the same situation of reciprocity for an Egyptian citizen in similar circumstances who has a similar visa from British authorities will be acceptable to immigration authorities here, or if a separate visa is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16487/14]
View answerThe rules governing entry to the UK are a matter for the UK authorities and possession of an Irish visa does not affect any visa requirements that that jurisdiction may have in place.
The Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme, launched by the Government on 1 July 2011, allows persons from eighteen designated countries granted leave to enter the UK (i.e. granted a “UK visa”) as a general visitor, child visitor, business visitor, academic visitor or sporting visitor to travel to Ireland within the period of validity of their leave to remain in the UK without the requirement to obtain an Irish visa. Egypt is not, however, one of the designated countries. Therefore the Egyptian national concerned, irrespective of whether he or she is in possession of a UK visa, requires an Irish visa for travel to the State.
The Deputy may wish to note that my officials are working with their UK counterparts on the development of reciprocal short-stay Common Travel Area (CTA) visa arrangements which will allow tourists and business visitors to travel to the CTA, with first arrival in either jurisdiction, and thereafter to travel freely between Ireland and the UK. In summary, the arrangement will be a form of mutual recognition of each jurisdiction’s visas rather than a new form of visa. This mutual recognition will allow for entry and free movement around the CTA, including between Ireland and Northern Ireland, on the basis of a single visa. Whether that single visa is an Irish visa or a UK visa will depend on the first point of entry to the CTA. It is planned for the roll-out of these arrangements to commence in Autumn 2014.
452. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if an Armenian citizen who is legally residing in the United Kingdom, an EU member state and inside the common travel area is allowed use their passport and proof of residence in the UK for entry to Ireland for a three-day academic conference, or if a full visa is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16488/14]
View answerBased on the information provided by the Deputy, the person referred to will require an Irish visa to travel to Ireland. The application should be made on-line at www.inis.gov.ie with the supporting documentation submitted to the Irish Visa Office at 114a Cromwell Road, London, SW7 4ES.
Comprehensive information on the visa application process is available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (www.inis.gov.ie). It should be borne in mind however that the information contained on the website is intended to act as guidance only. It does not limit the discretion of the Visa Officer in dealing with individual applications.
Queries in relation to general immigration matters 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.
453. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the anti-social behaviour happening at two locations (details supplied) in County Meath; the steps being taken to deal with same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16509/14]
View answerI am informed by the Garda authorities that the areas referred to are within the Ratoath Garda Sub-District and Ashbourne Garda District and that they are regularly patrolled by Gardaí.
I am also informed that current policing plans in the area are designed to address issues of crime and public order offences. In addition, I am advised that there is liaison between local Gardaí and community interests regarding anti social activity in the area and that Gardaí will continue to work with individuals and groups in this regard.
Local Garda management closely monitors patrols, and other operational strategies in place, in conjunction with crime trends and policing needs of the communities in these areas to ensure optimum use is made of Garda resources, and the best possible Garda service is provided to the public. I am advised that local Garda management is satisfied that a full and comprehensive policing service is being delivered to the areas concerned and that current structures in place meet the requirements for the delivery of an effective and efficient policing service.
454. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will review the continued service of a company (details supplied) in operating speed checks on behalf of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16526/14]
View answerA contract for the provision of an outsourced safety camera network to An Garda Síochána was concluded in November, 2009 and the network commenced operations in November, 2010. The service provider, Go Safe, is contracted to provide the service for 5 years (from November 2010), with an option to extend the service for a further year.
In accordance with the contract, the outsourced safety camera network operates under the direction of An Garda Síochána with the Office for Safety Camera Management (OSCAM) managing the key elements of the day-to-day running of the project. I am informed by the Garda authorities that the service provided by Go Safe is under continuous review. Arising from a number of issues raised concerning certain aspects of the operation of the safety camera network, I have sought a report from the Garda Commissioner and expect to receive this report in the very near future.
455. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to meet the State's legal obligations regarding the prosecution of victims of trafficking for forced labour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16536/14]
View answerObligations regarding the prosecution of victims of human trafficking for forced labour are set out in the Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the 5th April 2011 on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Protecting its Victims. This Directive provides in Article 8 that 'Member States shall, in accordance with the basic principles of their legal systems, take the necessary measures to ensure that competent national authorities are entitled not to prosecute or impose penalties on victims of trafficking in human beings for their involvement in criminal activities which they have been compelled to commit as a direct consequence of being subjected to any of the acts referred to in Article 2.'
Provision to meet the obligations arising from the EU Directive are set out in Chapter 4 of the Director of Public Prosecution’s Guidelines for Prosecutors, which specifically refers to victims of human trafficking, at Section 4.7, where it states: “In assessing whether the public interest lies in commencing or continuing with a prosecution, a prosecutor should exercise particular care where there is information to suggest that the suspect is a victim of crime. An example would be where it is suggested that the suspect is a victim of human trafficking. Such a person may be suspected of a range of offences from breaches of immigration law to offences related to prostitution. In a case in which there is credible information that a suspect is also a crime victim, the prosecutor should consider whether the public interest is served by a prosecution of the suspect”. These guidelines are available on the Director of Public Prosecution’s website www.dpp.ie
456. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to appoint an independent national rapporteur to address problems of lack of identification and prosecution with regard to trafficking and victims of trafficking for forced labour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16537/14]
View answer457. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will consider implementing a co-ordinated approach to assessing and identifying all cases of potential trafficking for forced labour by a multi-agency team involving State agencies and NGOs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16538/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 456 and 457 together.
The process for the identification of victims of human trafficking which is used in Ireland is based on the model developed by the International Organisation on Migration (IOM); this envisages a two step process involving an assessment of the various indicators and a detailed interview with the individual by An Garda Síochána. All relevant information from the individual and from the legal representative and/or NGO assisting the victim is considered in the assessment.
While there is no independent national rapporteur to monitor efforts to fight human trafficking, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in my Department acts as the equivalent mechanism in accordance with the requirements set out in Article 19 of the EU Directive on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims. The question of ongoing monitoring through a national rapporteur will also be examined in the context of the 2nd National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Trafficking in Human Beings in Ireland which is currently being drafted.
The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit in my Department chairs five interdisciplinary working groups comprising representatives from Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), International Organisations (IOs) and Government Agencies which discuss, inter alia, victim identification. More than 30 organisations are involved. This method of consultation is based on a model recommended by the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for National Referral Mechanisms on Human Trafficking. Methods for enhancing and developing processes for the identification of victims will be examined through these consultative structures having regard to the reports on Ireland by two international organisations [OSCE and the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA)] with expertise in the area of human trafficking and will be addressed in the context of the 2nd National Action Plan.
458. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will meet with representatives of the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland to discuss trafficking for forced labour here, with particular regard to trafficking for forced labour in cannabis production; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16539/14]
View answerI have no plans to meet the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland at this time. As the Deputy will be aware, the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Amendment Act 2013 which came into effect in August of last year expanded the definition of human trafficking in the Criminal Law (Human Trafficking) Act 2008 to include inter alia trafficking for the purposes of forced illegal activities for commercial gain. Trafficking for forced labour in cannabis production could come within this expanded definition. The 2013 Act, for the purpose of clarity, also defined forced labour, with some stated exceptions, as a work or service which is exacted from a person under the menace of any penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily.
I am aware that the Migrants Rights Centre Ireland have articulated their views on this matter in a number of fora. I am of the view that, at this time, it would be helpful for the Migrants Rights Centre to have discussions with other stake-holders within the consultative structures chaired by the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of my Department, particularly within the Labour Exploitation and National Referral Working Groups. These Working Groups provide a forum where issues arising out of the implementation of the expanded definition of human trafficking for forced participation in criminal activities such as cannabis cultivation can be examined and discussed at a practical level.
Migrants Rights Centre Ireland participates in an intensive three day training course entitled “Trafficking in Human Beings; Prevention, Protection, Partnership and Prosecution” undertaken by members of An Garda Síochána. Almost 700 members of An Garda Síochána have now received this training. The overriding aim of the training is to provide members of An Garda Síochána with knowledge of indicators of all the forms of human trafficking, where to look and how to identify victims of human trafficking. Recently, the training programme has included a module addressing the potential link between human trafficking and cannabis grow houses emphasising the indicators of human trafficking which may indicate a person working in such locations is a victim of human trafficking.
The prevention and detection of human trafficking in all its forms and the protection of its victims has been a policing priority for An Garda Síochána for the past number of years and it remains a priority in 2014.
459. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda personnel in Cork city; the number of gardaí assigned to the Togher area; the figures for crime in Togher in the past 12 months and a breakdown of these crimes; if there has been a reduction in Garda numbers and-or resources in Togher in the past year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16543/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources.
I have however been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the personnel strength of each Garda Station in the Cork City Garda Division on 28 February 2013 and on 28 February 2014, the latest date for which figures are readily available, is as set out in the table.
|
District/Station |
Strength 28/02/13 |
Strength 28/02/14 |
Reserve 28/02/14 |
Civilian 28/02/14 |
|
Anglesea Street |
||||
|
Anglesea Street |
270 |
279 |
27 |
29 |
|
Blackrock |
33 |
31 |
1 |
|
|
Bridewell |
24 |
30 |
2 |
|
|
Gurranabraher |
||||
|
Ballincollig |
24 |
23 |
2 |
1 |
|
Blarney |
18 |
17 |
1 |
|
|
Carrig Na Bhfear * |
2 |
1 |
||
|
Gurranabraher |
56 |
55 |
12 |
6 |
|
Mayfield |
||||
|
Glanmire* |
24 |
22 |
||
|
Mayfield |
53 |
51 |
15 |
5 |
|
Watercourse Road |
54 |
50 |
5 |
5 |
|
Togher |
||||
|
Bishopstown |
22 |
21 |
2 |
1 |
|
Carrigaline |
19 |
20 |
1 |
1 |
|
Crosshaven |
3 |
3 |
||
|
Douglas |
26 |
24 |
2 |
1 |
|
Passage West |
3 |
3 |
||
|
Togher |
55 |
52 |
4 |
8 |
* Were in the Cork North Garda Division in 2013
With regard to your request for figures for crime in Togher, the Garda Síochána Act 2005 makes provision for the compilation and publication of crime statistics by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, and the CSO has established a dedicated unit for this purpose.
I have requested the CSO to provide statistics directly to you.
460. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to introduce new rules and procedures in relation to the surrogacy issue; when these are expected to be in place; the transition rules that will apply in relation to persons who are currently involved in the surrogacy process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16571/14]
View answerThe General Scheme of a Children and Family Relationships Bill, published on 30 January 2014, seeks to provide legal clarity in terms of the parentage of a child born by means of surrogacy and assisted human reproduction. The General Scheme outlines my policy intentions which are to enable the commissioning parents to obtain a "parentage order" through the courts establishing their legal parentage of a child born through an altruistic surrogacy arrangement which complies with the requirements of the draft legislation. I have proposed transitional arrangements which would allow parents to apply for orders in respect of children born through surrogacy arrangements which might not comply with the rules proposed in the General Scheme. It is proposed that such transitional arrangements would apply in instances where the procedure leading to the surrogate mother's pregnancy and the child's birth took place prior to the commencement of the legislation. The General Scheme also sets out the rules which would apply in relation to establishing the legal parentage of a child born through assisted reproduction if that were the subject of some later dispute. The General Scheme has been referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality for pre-legislative scrutiny and for public consultation. I understand that the Committee is holding hearings on the entirety of the Scheme tomorrow. I am keen to progress this legislation as quickly as possible and hope to have it drafted over the coming months with a view to early enactment.
461. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the costs to his Department to process and respond to a priority, an oral and a written parliamentary question. [16595/14]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that information concerning the cost incurred in the preparation of Parliamentary Question replies is not readily available and could only be obtained through the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of my Department's time and resources.
462. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide a breakdown on free legal aid costs on a county basis; the number of persons who are in receipt of legal aid repeatedly; the categories that these recipients are in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16658/14]
View answerThe information is as follows.
Criminal Legal Aid
The Criminal Justice (Legal Aid) Act 1962, which is the primary legislation covering the operation of the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, provides that free legal aid may be granted, in certain circumstances, for the defence of persons of insufficient means in criminal proceedings.
Under the 1962 Act, the courts, through the judiciary, are responsible for the granting of legal aid. Under the Constitution, the State is obliged to provide an accused person with the means to obtain appropriate legal representation. Moreover, the European Convention on Human Rights provides that every person charged with a criminal offence is entitled to defend themselves in person or through legal assistance of their own choosing, if they have insufficient means to pay for legal assistance, to be given it free when the interests of justice so require.
My Department is responsible for the payment of fees and expenses to the legal practitioners. I have no function in the day to day operation of the scheme, the assignment of lawyers or the granting of aid which are matters for the court and, as such, are handled by the judiciary.
There is no limit to the number of times that a person can be granted legal aid under the scheme. Whether or not an applicant has received legal aid previously is not a consideration in determining eligibility for legal aid and such information is not recorded by the Courts Service.
Expenditure on criminal legal aid in 2013 was €50.8 million. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of expenditure on a county basis as the majority of barristers addresses are recorded as being at the Law Library, Dublin 7. In seeking to reduce the expenditure on the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme, the rates of fees paid to the legal practitioners were reduced by 8% in March, 2009, by a further 8% in April, 2010 and by 10% in October, 2011. The reductions in the rates of fees paid has not impacted on the numbers of persons availing of aid with the number of legal aid certificates granted remaining relatively constant over the last five years.
Civil Legal Aid
As regards civil legal aid, this is provided by the Legal Aid Board, which is a statutory independent agency. The Board provides legal services through its nationwide network of law centres and also uses private solicitors to complement this service. The Board received a grant-in-aid of €33.759 million from the Exchequer last year. I am advised that the Board does not produce figures which would allow overall costs to be identified on a county basis. Further information on the Board's finances can be seen in its annual reports (available on www.legalaidboard.ie).
Whilst it is not unusual for an applicant to access civil legal aid services more than once, particularly in family law matters, applicants do not tend to be in receipt of civil legal aid repeatedly. It should be noted that each and every application for civil legal aid is subject to a means test and a merits test, in line with the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995, and the associated Regulations.
463. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if a temporary travel visa will issue in the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 14; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16669/14]
View answerIn the absence of more information it is not possible to respond to the Deputy in detail. However, it is assumed that the Deputy is referring to a visa that would allow the person concerned to re-enter the State after a temporary absence.
Information on the re-entry visa application process, including details of the supporting documentation required, is available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service at www.inis.gov.ie.
Re-entry visa applications submitted by post will generally take 5 working days to process following the receipt of all required documents. This time frame may increase during peak processing periods throughout the year. The date of the postal applications being processed at present is available on www.inis.gov.ie.
Queries in relation to general immigration matters 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.
464. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 417 of 1 April 2014, if he will correct the reply to state the correct statutory instrument which is not SI 412/2012 - Sea-Fisheries (Celtic Sea Technical Measures) Regulations 2012; if he will further state the statutory instrument which sets out the regulations and criteria that the deciding officer operates under in his requests for personal details from the applicant and their host-s; if there is no statutory instrument then what regulations, rules or guidelines form the basis for further requests for information from the applicants and their hosts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16676/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the answer supplied to Parliamentary Question No. 417 of 1 April 2014 contained a typographical error in the number of the statutory instrument cited.
The statutory instrument cited was the Immigration Act 2004 (Visas) Order 2012. It was incorrectly identified as S.I. No. 412 of 2012. The correct number is S.I. No. 417 of 2012. I regret any inconvenience caused to the Deputy and wish to advise that the Dáil record has been amended.
The substance of the answer supplied on 1 April 2014 is, however, unaffected. Visa applications are determined in accordance with administrative procedures and are granted at the discretion of the Minister for Justice and Equality. As previously advised, certain standard supporting documents are required for all visa applications. However, on occasion, a visa officer may require additional documentation in order to determine whether the application should be granted. Applicants are forewarned of this possibility by the declaration that they sign as part of the application process. The wording of the declaration is to the effect that the applicant understands that additional information and/or data may be required and that failure to provide this, if requested, may result in the refusal of their application.
Information in relation to the standard supporting documentation required for the various types of visas (visit visas etc.) is available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service at www.inis.gov.ie.
465. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 445, the number of private member gaming clubs and high value cash trading operations that are supervised by the AML unit of his Department in addition to the list of entities previously provided; and if an organisation (details supplied) is registered with or supervised by his Department. [16681/14]
View answerThere are currently 40 private member gaming clubs registered by my Department under the provisions of Section 109 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 as amended.
With regard to high value goods dealers the Deputy will appreciate that this sector is quite diverse and includes such businesses as antique dealers, boat and car sales businesses, farm machinery traders and jewellers. Under section 25(1) of the 2010 Act, a high value goods dealer is any person trading in goods, but only in respect of transactions involving payments of a total of at least €15,000 (whether in one transaction or in a series of linked transactions).
I can inform the Deputy that the Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Unit has a record of approximately 2,000 businesses in the high value goods dealer sector and approximately 1,000 inspections have been carried out by authorised officers in the sector since 2011.
In relation to the organisation to which the deputy refers in the details supplied I understand there is no such organisation registered or supervised in my Department.
466. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans for the legislation on prostitution here after the publishing of the Oireachtas justice committee report on prostitution in Ireland; if he has received the clarification he was seeking in Parliamentary Question No. 467 of 8 October 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16693/14]
View answerOn 6 November last, the Chairman of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality replied, in detail, to my request for clarification and elaboration of recommendations made in the committee's report. The correspondence with the committee has been published on its website.
I have received the advices of the Attorney General on the joint committee's report. More recently I received the views of the Minister for Health and these are being examined.
When the review of prostitution legislation has been completed, I will bring my legislative proposals to Government for approval in the usual way. A policy decision is a matter for the Government at that stage.
467. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will expedite an application for a de facto visa in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16720/14]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the application referred to by the Deputy is almost processed to completion and that INIS will be in touch with this person very shortly.
Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by email 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 email service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.
468. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the action open to a citizen who believes that a coroner has not behaved appropriately, has failed to adequately protect the files that were in their possession, and the steps they can take to have this addressed. [16769/14]
View answerThe primary legislation applicable to coroners is the Coroners Act 1962. Under section 29 of the Act a coroner is required to retain records and to transfer the records to the relevant County Registrar on vacating office.
As the Deputy will be aware a coroner is a statutory officer exercising quasi-judicial functions in relation to which he or she is independent. In that context the courts have ruled that certain actions of a coroner may be the subject of judicial review.
In the circumstances the Deputy will appreciate that it would be outside the scope of my official functions to seek to provide advice in relation to the specific matters she has mentioned.
