Written Answers Nos. 156-166
156. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 111 of 8 July 2015 if he will explain his statement that the use of anti-malaria medication, including Lariam, is in line with current Health Products Regulatory Authority approved summary of product characteristics, given that Primaquine in the formulary has also been included and it is not licensed by the authority. [29375/15]
View answerAs I previously indicated to the Deputy in relation to the use of Primaquine by the Defence Forces, information is currently being compiled and I will write to the Deputy when the information is to hand.
157. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence if he is aware that the Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks’ Representative Association, PDFORRA, has stated that the crew of the LE Eithne are not receiving the proper daily allowances from his Department and are being underpaid for their work, that PDFORRA believe the crew, who have rescued over 3,400 persons, should be entitled to the higher allowance, as the LE Eithne is armed, and the crew have been armed at various times; that PDFORRA have not received an offer from your Department on its second request for allowance increases, and believes the excellent work of the crew is not being properly rewarded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29419/15]
View answerMembers of the Naval Service engaged in the Maritime Humanitarian Search and Rescue Operation in the Mediterranean are being paid the rate for “Unarmed Peace Support Allowance”. This allowance is currently exempt from Income Tax.
The Allowance is a daily allowance paid to each member of the crew from the date the vessel left the Naval Base to deploy on the Mediterranean Operation to the date of return.
The rate for the allowance ranges from €55.14 up to €79.51 per day depending on rank (€385.98 to €556.57 per week tax free).
Full Details of the rate currently payable are set out as follows:
|
ALLOWANCES - OFFICERS |
Daily Rate from 01/07/2013 |
|
Overseas Peace Support Allowance – OPSA |
|
|
Commandant & higher |
€79.51 |
|
Captain & lower |
€72.26 |
|
ALLOWANCES - ENLISTED PERSONNEL |
Daily Rate from 01/07/2013 |
|
Overseas Peace Support Allowance – OPSA |
|
|
Sergeant and higher |
€59.07 |
|
Corporal |
€57.10 |
|
Private |
€55.14 |
Where a mission is an armed mission e.g. the UNIFIL and UNDOF missions, an additional “Armed Peace Support Allowance” is paid. The daily rate for this allowance ranges from €21.22 to €22.24 per day. So for these missions the total allowance ranges from €76.36 to €101.75 per day (€534.52 to €712.04 per week tax free).
The rate being paid to the Naval Service personnel is the same rate as is being paid to members of the Permanent Defence Force engaged in the humanitarian operation tackling the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone. Humanitarian operations are not armed operations in the sense of the missions in Lebanon or UNDOF, where they require to be armed and be able to deliver an armed response to events on the ground as part of the mission mandate. Clearly the humanitarian operation in the Mediterranean does not fall within these parameters. In addition, the fact that Naval Vessels carry arms and have installed guns does not of itself make this an armed mission.
PDFORRA have made a claim for additional payments for PDFORRA members of the Naval Service deployed on humanitarian relief and rescue duties in the Mediterranean. They are seeking payment of the Armed Peace Support Allowance and Patrol Duty Allowance in addition to the Unarmed Peace Support Allowance. The claim is being processed through the Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for Members of the Permanent Defence Force process. As such matters are confidential to that process, it would be inappropriate for me to make any comment on these pay claims at this time.
158. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure to be followed in offering long-term residency to a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; if provision will be made for the person to reside here on a temporary or long-term basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29417/15]
View answerI have been informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that this person applied for and was issued with a multi-entry visa, valid from 16 December 2014 until 31 October 2015. This person had also been issued with two previous short-term visas. These applications were made in the visa office in London. This person is currently a student in the UK. Should this person wish to extend their current visitor's permission in the State, they should write to Unit 2, Residence Division in INIS, outlining the extenuating circumstances under which this permission should be extended.
Short Stay C visa holders cannot make an application for residency in the State arising from a De Facto relationship with an Irish national. If this person wishes to reside here as the partner of an Irish national, they should apply from their current habitual place of residence for the appropriate long stay D type visa to suit their intentions. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department 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.
159. Deputy Anne Ferris asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide the figures by Garda Síochána district for Garda numbers and Garda car numbers in the districts covering Counties Wicklow, Carlow, Kildare, Wexford and Dublin, for 2010 to 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29320/15]
View answerOne of the primary functions of the Garda Commissioner under the Garda Síochána Acts is to direct and control An Garda Síochána and as such, the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. I have no direct role in this function. I can inform the Deputy that Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review taking into account crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. I have requested from the Garda Commissioner the specific information sought by the Deputy in relation to the breakdown of Garda strength and Garda car numbers in the Districts covering Wicklow, Carlow, Kildare, Wexford and Dublin from 2010 to 2014 and will forward this information directly to the Deputy when it is collated.
160. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the redress available for survivors of a home (details supplied) in County Dublin who were subjected to vaccine trials; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29329/15]
View answerI would like to advise the Deputy that matters relating to medicinal trials come within the remit of the Department of Health. The Deputy will also be aware that, in February 2015, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs announced the establishment of a Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters. I understand this Commission will examine a broad range of issues including matters relating to vaccine trials in specified homes. The Commission recently launched a nationwide advertising campaign inviting persons with relevant information to contact the Commission. Persons wishing to contact the Commission may do so by writing to: Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, 73 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, email info@mbhcoi.ie or by freephone on 1800 80 66 88.
161. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when a decision on a de facto visa application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Galway will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29356/15]
View answerI have been informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department, that the person referred to by the Deputy currently has an application pending for residency in the State, since 4th June, 2015, arising from their De Facto Relationship with an Irish national. Applications of this type are dealt with in chronological order and a decision will issue on their case shortly. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to the INIS of my Department 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.
162. Deputy Ciara Conway asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the guardianship of infants section of the Child and Family Relationships Bill will be enacted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29371/15]
View answerAs I indicated in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 103 of 23 April 2015, "[...] section 1 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 provides for the commencement of different Parts of the Act by different Ministers, because the Act addresses policy responsibilities of several different Ministers. My Department is working on an implementation plan for those areas which I will be commencing with a view to their commencement without undue delay. All of the necessary legal infrastructure must be in place prior to commencement, such as rules of court, court forms, regulations, and so on." My Department is continuing to work on the implementation plan with relevant stakeholders, and I fully expect to be in a position to commence Part 4 of the Act in the autumn.
163. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of student visas issued in the Irish Embassy in Beijing in China for students on co-operative programmes with Irish higher education institutions and institutes of technology for the years 2008 to 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29383/15]
View answer164. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of visa applications received, approved, and refused in the Irish Embassy in Beijing in China for universities and institutes of technology, other third levels, further education colleges and secondary schools for the years 2009 to 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29384/15]
View answer165. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide, in tabular form, the number of visa applications received, approved and refused in the Irish Embassy in Beijing in China for accreditation and co-ordination of English language services approved language schools, and for other English language schools for the years 2009 to 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29385/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 163 to 165, inclusive, together.
I am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) that it is not possible to extract a statistical breakdown of study visas by type of college or course from its automated systems. Prior to the introduction of the system in 2008 only limited statistical information was recorded at individual offices worldwide. Accordingly, the information sought by the Deputy for the years 2008 to 2009 is not available.
I can, however, advise the Deputy that the total number of visas granted and refused for study purposes in Beijing for the years 2010 to 2014 is as follows.
Study visas granted in Beijing 2010-14
|
Year |
Granted |
Refused |
|
2010 |
1,142 |
152 |
|
2011 |
1,063 |
108 |
|
2013 |
1,287 |
148 |
|
2012 |
1,207 |
143 |
|
2014 |
1,289 |
107 |
The Deputy should note that these figures include a small number of applications from Mongolian nationals which are also processed in Beijing.
166. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of 8 July 2015, where 15,824 offences of holding a mobile phone came before the courts and convictions were recorded in relation to 4,716, the number of these 4,716 convictions that had their licence number recorded by the court clerk and penalty points applied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29391/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service and I have no role in the matter. Section 4(3) of the 1998 Act provides that the Courts Service is independent in the performance of its functions, which includes 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 table below provides the information requested.
Please note that the total number of convictions previously provided in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 124 of 8 July 2015 has changed. The most recent report run on the Criminal Court Case Tracking System takes account of factors such as convictions which may have been appealed, reversed, set aside etc. since the report was first run in response to the earlier question.
Report on the number of convictions for offences before the court for driving while using a mobile phone and the number of Driver Numbers recorded for 2013, 2014 and January – March 2015.
Table A: Refers to the no of offences convicted of holding a mobile phone
Table B: Refers to Driver Numbers recorded in table A
Note: Report is for unique offences
|
TABLE A |
TABLE B |
|
|
Year |
No. of offences convicted of holding a mobile phone |
No. of Driver Numbers recorded |
|
JAN – DEC 2013 |
1608 |
947 |
|
JAN – DEC 2014 |
2349 |
1379 |
|
JAN – MAR 2015 |
588 |
352 |
