Written Answers Nos. 107-113
107. Deputy Colm Keaveney asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans, including the introduction of a gambling commission, to counter the epidemic of gambling, including gambling addiction, among amateur and professional sports persons given the consequences of such unregulated and unmonitored behaviour for persons and their families, interventions or supports in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3358/16]
View answerThe General Scheme of the Gambling Control Bill was published in July 2013 following approval by the Government. The Bill, as proposed, will update all existing laws on the regulation of gambling, including betting and gaming but excluding the National Lottery. It will provide for the licensing of all forms of on-line gambling.
The Gambling Control Bill will, as set out in the General Scheme, confer responsibility for all regulatory matters on the Minister for Justice and Equality. The Minister's functions will include licensing, inspections and prosecutions, and it is envisaged that these functions will be carried out by a body located within my Department. The General Scheme also provides for a dedicated inspectorate to ensure compliance by licence holders with the terms of their licences and with the new legislation generally.
The proposed legislation will have consumer protection generally as one of its core principles, and it is envisaged that it will include several measures aimed at the protection of vulnerable persons, including children, from risks to their well-being arising from gambling. In particular, the Scheme of the Bill envisages the establishment of a Fund to promote socially responsible gambling and to assist in counteracting the ill-effects of irresponsible gambling. The purposes of the Fund may include public education and awareness programmes, research and treatment programmes. The current scarcity of information on the scale and impacts of gambling underlines the need for such measures.
While it would remain my intention, and that of my Cabinet colleagues, to proceed with this legislation at the earliest feasible opportunity, at this point in time I expect it will be a matter for renewed consideration in the preparation of a new legislation programme by the next Government.
108. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if the core business of the Property Registration Authority involves examining applications for title registrations; if the State, as custodian of the public interest, is bound to indemnify persons who suffer loss through a mistake made in the Land Registry; her understanding of the internal quality control measures used by the authority to guarantee that its technical determinations are not distorted or undermined when dealings are issued by solicitors. [3362/16]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that the functions of the Property Registration Authority (PRA) are set out in Section 10 of the Registration of Deeds and Title Act 2006 and include the management and control of the Registry of Deeds and the Land Registry and to promote and extend the registration of ownership of land.
The vast majority of applications lodged in the Land Registry relate to applications where the title is already registered and include, for example, changes to existing ownerships, charges on property and cancellation of charges. Other more complex examples relate to unregistered titles and in such instances an examination of title is required.
Regardless of the application type and whether the application is lodged by a solicitor or by the applicant directly, the PRA will check each application for compliance with the prescribed statutes and Rules. To that end, the PRA has a very comprehensive set of Practice Directions and Legal Office Notices which are available on the PRA’s website www.prai.ie.
The Registration of Title Act, 1964 (as amended) provides for rectification for errors in registration and makes provision for compensation in the event of error, forgery or fraud in relation to registration where an identifiable loss has been suffered.
The PRA also has an internal process assurance group and quality control measures in place to ensure applications are processed to the required standard. Furthermore it is also subject to audit by the Controller and Auditor General and has an internal audit process as part of its governance process.
109. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality to support a matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3371/16]
View answerThe troubles on this island exacted a tragic human cost in terms of the lives lost, people injured and families bereaved. The impact of the many atrocities perpetrated over the course of the troubles lives long in our memory and is felt to this very day. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
As part and parcel of addressing the legacy of the troubles for victims, the Government established the Remembrance Commission. Over the lifetime of the Remembrance Commission from 2003 to 2008 €3.87 million in funding was made available to individual victims of the conflict in Northern Ireland resident in this jurisdiction to acknowledge their suffering, to address economic hardship and certain medical expenses. A significant amount of funding was also made available directly to Justice for the Forgotten, a group which supports many of the victims.
The exceptional payments element of the Remembrance Commission scheme provided for the possibility for payment of counselling expenses incurred prior to the establishment of the scheme, in the circumstances outlined in the scheme. Some ongoing counselling services were provided through Justice for the Forgotten.
Although it was not possible for my Department to continue funding Justice for the Forgotten, I am aware that the group was recently funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under its Reconciliation and Anti-Sectarianism Funds to allow it to continue the important work it carries out for the victims it represents.
I might add that while it is not possible to extend the nature of the schemes administered by my Department's Victims of Crime Office, I can reiterate the assurances given previously that funding for certain ongoing medical needs of the people who sustained injuries in the bombings has been and will continue to be provided through my Department’s Victims of Crime Office.
110. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality why voluntary workers need separate Garda Síochána vetting for each organisation in which they are involved, given the length of time it takes for vetting and increasing duplication of work for An Garda Síochána; if she will develop a more efficient and volunteer-friendly policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3372/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the primary purpose of the Garda employment vetting service is to seek to ensure the safety of children and vulnerable adults. Accordingly, the vetting process demands rigorous procedures to safeguard its integrity and to maintain the highest level of confidence by the public and organisations availing of the service.
Full vetting checks are conducted by the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU) for each new vetting application received to ensure that the most recent data available is taken into account. This is because once there has been any significant lapse of time between one employment and another, the original Garda Vetting Disclosure must be reviewed to take account of any changes in information, such as more recent criminal convictions.
Furthermore, under the Data Protection Acts, any sensitive personal data which employers use in regard to their employees must be current, accurate and up-to-date. The general non-transferability and contemporaneous nature of the current process also protects against the risk of fraud or forgery . Such procedures are in line with best practice internationally.
There are, however, certain limited circumstances where organisations can share a single vetting disclosure where this is agreed to by the vetting applicant. For example, persons involved in voluntary work may be doing work with more than one voluntary organisation at the same time, and may agree with the vetting applicant to share a single vetting disclosure. Similar arrangements arise in the health sector in regard to persons working as locums, agency nurses or other temporary employees in a number of different organisations, or in the education sector where substitute teachers are on panels for substitute teaching in more than one school.
The current average processing time for vetting applications is four weeks. However, in some individual cases additional enquiries may be necessary and this may result in processing times in excess of the average. Any vetting process will take a certain minimum amount of time to complete and, taking into account the need to protect children and vulnerable adults while providing an effective and efficient service, I do not think that this time period is unreasonable.
111. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of refugees Ireland has accepted to date as part of its commitment to take 4,000 refugees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3413/16]
View answerI assume the Deputy is referring to the Government's decision to establish the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) on 10 September 2015 as a direct response to the EU migrant crisis. Ireland has agreed to accept 4,000 persons in total under resettlement and relocation programmes by the end of 2017. The figure of 4,000 includes approximately 2,600 asylum seekers to be taken in from migration hotspots in Italy and Greece under the new EU programme and 520 programme refugees from Lebanon and Jordan, which the Irish Government has committed to taking in by the end of 2016 under Ireland's Refugee Resettlement programme. The mechanism by which the balance of the 4,000 will be taken in, has yet to be decided by Government.
In relation to the Resettlement Programme, 176 programme refugees were brought into the State from camps in Jordan and Lebanon in 2015. Over half of those brought in last year have already completed language training and orientation and have been resettled within the wider community. A further 100 refugees are expected to have arrived in the State by the end of February this year. Additional numbers are expected to arrive over the course of 2016.
In relation to the EU relocation programme, 10 people have been taken in by the State to date thus far. This was a single Syrian family who were relocated from Greece last week. I also understand that in the past number of weeks Italy submitted a number of potential cases for relocation to Ireland and these are currently being evaluated by officials in my Department. The small number of relocations effected to-date reflects the fact that the EU relocation programme has been slow in gathering momentum due to resource issues at migration 'hotspots' in Greece and Italy and the programme's low rate of uptake among those arriving in the EU via Italy and Greece. The latest reports I have available to me indicate that these hotspots in both countries are becoming more operational as additional resources are allocated. Accordingly, numbers are expected to increase steadily over coming months but realistically it may be some time before substantial numbers arrive in Ireland under relocation measures.
112. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Justice and Equality since 1 August 2015, the number of cyclists on a pedal cycle convicted of cycling without reasonable consideration, having no front lamp or rear lamp lit during lighting-up hours, and failing to stop for a school warden sign, proceeding into a pedestrianised street or area, past traffic lights when the red lamp is illuminated, past cycle traffic lights when the red lamp is lit, and beyond a stop line, barrier or half barrier at a railway level crossing, swing bridge or lifting bridge, when the red lamps are flashing. [3418/16]
View answerThe introduction of Fixed Charge Notices (FCNs) for cyclists came into effect on 31 July 2015 (Road Traffic (Fixed Charge Offences — Cyclists) Regulations 2015. S.I. No. 331 of 2015 refers.). FCNs can be issued to cyclists who commit any of the offences (for the purposes of section 103 of the Road Traffic Act 1961, as amended) listed hereunder, and the number of FCNs issued in respect of each offence listed are also detailed as follows:
|
Offences |
Number of FCNs issued (since 31 July, 2015) |
|
A cyclist riding a pedal cycle without reasonable consideration |
70 |
|
No front lamp or rear lamp light lit up during lighting-up hours |
125 |
|
A cyclist failing to stop for a School Warden sign |
0 |
|
Cycling in pedestrianised street or area |
35 |
|
A cyclist proceeding past traffic lights when the red lamp is illuminated |
330 |
|
A cyclist proceeding past cycle traffic lights when red lamp is lit |
16 |
|
A cyclist going past a stop line, barrier or half barrier at a railway level crossing, swing bridge or lifting bridge, when the red lamps are flashing |
1 |
The total number of FCNs issued to cyclists in respect of the above offences listed is 577 as of 22 January 2016.
113. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if adequate resources are available to An Garda Síochána to enable it to combat all aspects of modern crime; if extra resources are required in any sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3436/16]
View answerThe 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 continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of resources. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the overall number of personnel available to An Garda Síochána at the end of December 2015 was close to 16,000 comprising 12,817 Gardaí, 953 Garda Reserve members and over 2,000 civilians.
This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the capacity to provide effective and visible policing throughout the country. A crucial element of the Government's strategy is ensuring ongoing seamless recruitment to renew An Garda Síochána. With this in mind Budget 2016 made provision for the recruitment of 600 new Gardaí this year bringing to 1,150 the number of new Gardaí who will have been recruited since the reopening of the Garda College in Templemore in September 2014.
To date there have been six intakes of Garda Trainees to the Garda College, giving a total intake of 550 with a further intake provisionally scheduled for 11 April 2016. So far 296 of these new recruits have been fully attested and are undertaking Garda duties in communities nationwide. In order to fulfil the recruitment commitment for 2016 a new recruitment campaign was launched last November. That campaign, which closed on 6 January, has attracted strong interest with in the region of 16,500 applications received by the Public Appointments Service which is organising the competition on behalf of the Garda Commissioner.
The 2016 Budget allocation of €1.5 billion for An Garda Síochána includes over €67 million in additional funding which, in addition to the recruitment of new trainee Gardaí, also provides additional funding for Garda Surveillance, special operations and targeted, intelligence-led policing. This additional recruitment and budget allocation builds on the current high level of investment in Garda vehicles. We have invested over €34 million in new Garda vehicles since 2012 with over 640 new vehicles coming on stream since the start of 2015. The Government's Capital Plan 2016-2021 provides for a further €46 million of investment in vehicles as well as an additional €205 million for Information and Communications Technology which will allow An Garda Síochána to deploy the latest cutting edge technologies in the fight against crime. Taken together, this step-change in investment in policing demonstrates this Governments commitment to investing in 21st Century policing and will ensure that the Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive, on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime.
