Written Answers Nos. 120-129
120. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the impact the Charities Regulatory Authority will have on the charity sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48593/14]
View answer121. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the Charities Regulatory Authority's website (details supplied) will be live; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48594/14]
View answer122. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the amount of registration and annual filing fees the Charities Regulatory Authority will cost; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48595/14]
View answer123. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the public register of all charities operating in the State will be complete; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48596/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 120 to 123, inclusive, together.
The aim of the Charities Regulatory Authority, established under the Charities Act 2009, is to provide for the better regulation of charitable organisations through a framework of registration, regulation and support. The initial focus of the newly established Authority is on the development of a Register of Charities, upon which all charities operating in this country will be obliged to register. Part 4 of the Charities Act, which provides for the investigatory functions of the Authority, has not yet been commenced. The Register, when it is more advanced, will in time be the foundation which underpins the investigative and other regulatory work of the Authority. I can confirm that the website of the Charities Regulatory Authority, www.charitiesregulatoryauthority.ie, went live on 16 October 2014, the date of the establishment of the Authority.
The development of the Register of Charities is the initial task of the Authority. To date, it has written to some 4,500 charities with charitable tax exemptions seeking the extensive information on their finances and structure required to underpin the regulation of the sector. It is envisaged that all 8,500 charities that had charitable tax exemptions on the day of the establishment of the Authority will be contacted in this way by early in the New Year. The Register is also open to applications for charitable status from those charities that are not in receipt of charitable tax exemptions.
It is not possible to give a definite timeframe for completion of the Register at this early stage in the life of the Authority, as the work involved in its development is, to a large extent, dependent on the charities themselves. I am assured, however, that the Authority will continue to pursue this goal with all possible speed. My Department conducted a wide ranging consultation with the charities sector and other stakeholders on the matter of fees and other issues in 2013. It is intended that in time, all charities will be charged fees; these fees will vary depending on the income of the charity. It is envisaged that an announcement on the appropriate levels of fees for registration and annual reporting, which will go towards assisting with the cost of regulation, will be made in the coming months.
124. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the measures that have been taken in the past year to deal with cyberbullying; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48597/14]
View answerThe Office for Internet Safety (OIS) is an Executive Office within my Department. The OIS has been engaging with the issue of counteracting cyberbullying on an ongoing basis and has issued a series of booklets on internet safety including one dedicated to the topic of cyberbullying. A total of 18,459 copies of the cyberbullying booklet have been distributed to parents, teachers and youth groups by the OIS during 2014.
In addition the OIS produced a leaflet on cyberbullying to coincide with the International Safer Internet Day by producing a leaflet on how to counteract cyberbullying. The leaflet was made available electronically on the website www.internetsafety.ie and copies were distributed to libraries, citizens information offices and to members of the public on request. To date over 21,000 leaflets have been distributed.
The OIS acts as the coordinator for the EU Safer Internet Programme in Ireland. One of the four partner organisations in the Programme is the Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education which is part of the Department of Education and Skills. PDST coordinates Ireland's activities for the annual international Safer Internet Day in February each year. For Safer Internet Day in February 2014, PDST launched #Up2us. This is an anti-bullying kit to tackle cyberbullying and it has been widely distributed to schools and youth organisations throughout the country. The Law Reform Commission has published an issues paper on 'Cyber-crime affecting personal safety, privacy and reputation including cyber-bullying'. The LRC has requested that submissions or comments be returned to them by 19 January 2015 and I look forward to their final report in due course.
125. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if figures are collected by her Department on the number of mortgage repossession cases initiated through the courts; if she will monitor the number of repossession cases initiated; if she will provide the figures publicly per court, if available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48666/14]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, which include the provision of information on the courts system. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that the information is as provided. The tables set out the number of actions for possession initiated in the High Court and Circuit Court in 2013.
|
Circuit Court |
2013 |
|
New cases initiated for possession of lands/ premises |
2,498 |
|
High Court |
2013 |
|
New cases initiated for possession of lands/ premises |
332 |
I have asked the Court Service to provide figures for 2014 and I will correspond further with the Deputy when I have the figures to hand.
It is important to note that the number of new cases initiated does not reflect the number of orders for possession granted. It should also be noted that orders for possession do not necessarily equate with repossessions as it is up to the person or company who obtained the order for possession to pursue its execution.
126. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the objective of the incentivised regime in relation to remission of sentence is to provide tangible incentives to prisoners to participate in structured activities and to reinforce incentives for good behaviour, leading to a safer and more secure environment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48702/14]
View answer127. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if there is a differentiation of levels of privilege, that is, basic, standard and enhanced currently in operation on the E2 landing of Portlaoise prison, County Laois, and that enhanced privileges are not a right and are in fact dependent on meeting certain criteria, for that level, notably by exemplary behaviour and satisfactory engagement in structured activities. [48703/14]
View answer128. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her views that the progression of a person (details supplied) to the enhanced level was dependent on them meeting the criteria for that level, notably by exemplary behaviour and satisfactory engagement in structured activities. [48704/14]
View answer129. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the incentivised regime scheme regarding one third remission is mandatory for each prison and for all prisoners. [48705/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 126 to 129, inclusive, together.
I can inform the Deputy that the Incentivised Regimes Policy was introduced on a phased basis across all prisons in 2012 and is now operational in all institutions. Incentivised Regimes provides for a differentiation of privileges between prisoners according to their level of engagement with services and quality of behaviour. The objective is to provide tangible incentives to prisoners to participate in structured activities and to reinforce good behaviour, leading to a safer and more secure environment.
There are three levels of privilege - basic, standard and enhanced and each prison has developed an information booklet on how the scheme operates and specifically on the criteria and privileges associated with each level of regime. Prisoners on the enhanced regime level are significantly more likely to benefit from temporary release programmes such as Community Return – where prisoners are released early under Probation Supervision to partake of voluntary work for the benefit of the community – and/or transfer to an open centre. These are significant motivational factors in encouraging prisoners to engage in authorised structured activities and improve general behaviour. The hope is that these benefits are not just apparent in prisons and that the behavioural change effected will stay with the prisoner on his release. Experience in other jurisdictions has shown that an incentivised regime structure is a hugely valuable addition to prisons in the context of good order and prisoner compliance.
The standard set of core privileges provided in each prison comprises of different levels of daily gratuity ranging from €0.95 to €2.20, the number and length of visits a prisoner is allowed to receive and the number of telephone calls a prisoner is allowed to make. Each prison has drawn up a list of privileges available under each regime level. The list of available privileges is likely to vary between prisons and within different areas of a prison, depending on the operational and infrastructure requirements of each prison. Examples of other incentives offered include improved accommodation ( e.g. move from dormitory accommodation to a single room in an open centre). In the past, access to facilities such as DVD players, games consoles have been provided. Prisoners can also gain access to employment opportunities within the prison e.g. kitchens, laundries etc.
Specifically in relation to Portlaoise Prison E Block, the introduction of the Incentivised Regimes policy within the prison system had to take cognisance of existing practices and procedures in prisons. This was to ensure that prisoners were not disadvantaged or suffered a deterioration in their regime due to the introduction of this new policy. Experience in other jurisdictions has shown that an incentivised regime structure is a hugely valuable addition in prisons in the context of good order and prisoner compliance. As such, prisoner buy-in is an essential component for the success of the initiative.
I can advise the Deputy that the Governor of Portlaoise prison and his management team make decisions on the regime level for prisoners on the E Block. On 16 December of the 11 prisoners on the E2 landing 9 were on the enhanced regime and 2 were on the standard. While all prisoners serving a sentence, (excluding those serving a life sentence; those serving a sentence for the non-payment of a court ordered debt and those serving sentences for contempt of court), may apply for one third remission, applications are considered by reference to a number of other factors including behaviour and conduct while incarcerated, the nature of the offence, the level and nature of the prisoner's engagement in authorised structured activities and the views of An Garda Síochána.
