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Home » Tag Archives: Minister for Justice and Equality

Tag Archives: Minister for Justice and Equality

‘No health and safety issues’ at direct provision centre

NO health and safety issues were identified during an unannounced visit by a senior official from the Department of Justice and Equality to the Direct Provision centre in Miltown Malbay last week, it has been revealed. “I am advised that there was no evidence of any rodent activity or water leaking on the day my official visited,” Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan stated in briefing note seen by The Clare Champion. Mr Flanagan commissioned the report following concerns raised in correspondence and Parliamentary Questions relating to the emergency accommodation premises for international protection applicants at the Central Hostel in Miltown Malbay. Hostel owner Pat Kelly did not wish to make any comment but said to contact the Department of Justice on the issue. Last Thursday (June 4), officials from the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) held a clinic via video call with residents of the centre, which was attended by 12 of the 19 residents. The clinic was …

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New rights for victims of crime

The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald,has published the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill 2016, following approval by the Government. The Bill will transpose into Irish law Directive 2012/29/EU establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime fulfilling a commitment in the Programme for Government to publish legislation to implement the EU Victims of Crime Directive. The Tánaiste said “This Bill will introduce, for the first time, statutory rights for victims of crime. It is time that the rights of victims are given full recognition in the criminal justice system”. Under the proposed Bill, a victim of a crime will have rights including; · The right to receive comprehensive information on the criminal justice system and their role within it and the range of services and entitlements victims may access from their first contact with the Garda Síochána. · The right to receive a written acknowledgement of the making of the …

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Minister Pat Breen

Breen backs Garda recruitment campaign

Clare men and women have been encouraged by local Fine Gael TD Pat Breen to apply for one of 600 new positions available with An Garda Síochána. The recruitment campaign is now underway and applications are being accepted until January 5. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald formally announced on Friday the opening of a recruitment campaign for new members of An Garda Síochána next year. The 600 new gardaí, to be recruited next year, will bring to 1,150 the total number of new recruits since the reopening of Templemore in September 2014. “So far 295 new recruits have completed their training and are now are on the ground in communities nationwide as fully fledged members of An Garda Síochána. It is expected that successful candidates from the latest recruitment campaign will enter the Garda College from mid-2016. “Serving as a member of An Garda Síochána is a great privilege, but the position comes with great responsibility. I know …

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Children’s group welcomes report on protection

The Children’s Rights Alliance has welcomed the release of the seventh report of the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Dr Geoffrey Shannon. Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance said, “Dr Shannon’s report is a wakeup call for Government to urgently review the 1991 Child Care Act, which is the bedrock of our child protection system. The legislation is over 20 years old and the courts don’t have the powers they need to keep children safe. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly is well placed to commission a review and to reform this area.” Ms Ward added, “The internet is a new frontier in child protection and Dr Shannon shows how our laws have not kept pace with technological advances. This generation of children are in danger of online grooming and Dr Shannon is calling for new laws. For this reason the new Heads of the Sexual Offences Bill published on Thursday by Minister …

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Council concern for sexual exploitation

Serious concern about the exploitation of women relating to the sex industry was expressed by a local councillor this week. In a motion presented to Clare County Council, Councillor Mary Howard asked that “this council recognises that the trafficking, exploitation and abuse of women and girls is taking place in County Clare and throughout the country within and as a direct result of prostitution. This council understands prostitution to be a form of men’s violence against women that affects individuals, communities, and society as a whole and that human trafficking for sexual exploitation is a modern form of slavery and an abuse of human rights”. In the motion, which was strongly endorsed, she said, “This council calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality to implement the Justice Committees unanimous recommendations to introduce laws, which make it an offence to pay for sex and is seeking such laws. This legislation must criminalise the demand for paid sex, decriminalise the seller …

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Conway supports JPC improvements

Clare Senator , Martin Conway has called on his fellow senators to support the Fine Gael Private Members Motion, which calls on the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, to improve the operation of Joint Policing Committees (JPC) throughout the country. Senator Conway said  JPCs provide a forum where a local authority and the senior Garda officers responsible for the policing of that area consult, discuss and make recommendations on matters affecting the policing of the area with the participation of Oireachtas members and community interests. “I am convinced that we need to deal with crime at a local level. Whilst JPCs do great work throughout the country in identifying, raising awareness of and finding solutions for issues impacting on, or causing concerns for the local community, I believe the role of JPCs could be enhanced and strengthened. “I welcome the new revised guidelines for the operation of JPCs which were recently published by the Minister for Justice and …

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Conway seeks website for crime victims

Clare senator, Martin Conway, has urged the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald and the Acting Garda Commissioner, Noirin O’Sullivan, to consider the establishment of a website to keep victims informed about the status of their case. “Last year in the UK, Avon and Somerset police forces set up a website called TrackMyCrime, allowing people to follow the progress of their cases,” said the Fine Seanad Spokesperson on Justice, Disability and Equality. “TrackMyCrime allows victims of crime to access the progress of the investigation of their crime as well as contact the officer leading the investigation. The service is offered to victims of crime alongside all of our other methods of communication with notifications via email and/or text, alerting them to a message which they can securely access at a time and in a way that suits them.,” he explained. Senator Conway said the system automatically updates as police enter information on their computers, with emergency 999 call handlers …

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Marie Keating programme for schools

The new Marie Keating Cancer Awareness Programme for Schools, which launched this Wednesday, addresses the challenge of giving second level students a better insight into both prevention and coping with the disease. “Each day in Ireland, an average of 82 new cases of cancer are diagnosed and this number is expected to rise by a third by 2020.We have a clear challenge to help reduce the number of people being diagnosed with cancer by highlighting prevention and also by providing information and support to those already affected by the disease. The new programme will help to achieve both of these goals,” said Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, at the launch. By making cancer ‘less frightening by enlightening’ for students, the programme endeavours to engage students with age-appropriate, interactive and informative material. The eight-module programme is available free of charge for teachers by contacting the Marie Keating Foundation directly and forms part of the suite of supports for post-primary …

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