Tag Archives: Minister for Justice

GAMBLING online was described as being “out of control” in Clare, at the monthly meeting of the county council. Calling on the minister for justice to update the legislation and appoint a regulator, Councillor PJ Ryan outlined how he had been contacted by the mother of someone who spent all of his money, overnight, by gambling online. “The woman who has a son in college forwarded him money on a Friday night and by the next day at 9.15am, he had used all of it for online gambling,” the Independent member said. “Online gambling is a serious, serious problem and there has been not update to the law on gambling since 1931. Another woman told me that her husband, who is working from home, is gambling most of his wages online and she never realised it. It is too easy to do it. If a ten year old child gets their father’s credit card, they can gamble online. It’s a …

  THE plight of asylum seekers living in the dilapidated Direct Provision centre in Miltown Malbay has been brought the attention of the Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan. Rodents, leaking bathrooms and substandard food, are among serious problems that have been identified at the Central Hostel on the Main Street, resulting in a call for its closure. However, on Wednesday of this week (June 3), Mr Pat Kelly, owner of the Central Hostel, said he didn’t wish to make any comment on the issues raised on behalf of the asylum seekers other than to say “these are all false allegations”. A letter has been sent on behalf of the 12 men to the minister by the Miltown Malbay Welcome Group, outlining health and safety issues at the hostel where the asylum seekers are being housed. The letter has been copied to Clare TD Cathal Crowe, who is calling on the minister to deal with the issues as a matter of …

Following the retirement of the Garda Commissioner yesterday, the Policing Authority has immediately commenced consideration and research on the process to identify and appoint the next Commissioner of the Garda Síochána. While section 9 of the Garda Síocháná Act 2005 sets out the statutory requirements, this will be the first time that the new legislative process is utilised. In practical terms, the Authority will be working with the Public Appointments Service and the Department of Justice and Equality over the coming weeks to agree the precise requirements for the role and to formally initiate the selection competition. The Authority’s chairperson spoke to the Minister for Justice and Equality about the selection process this morning and they agreed that it is crucial that a deliberate and considered process takes place to ensure the right candidate is selected.

Since the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday evening, which have claimed the lives of 129 people, An Garda Síochána have been in close contact with French and other close security partners to assess any implications for Ireland. In a statement issued today (Monday),  it was outlined there is a Garda Liaison Officer attached to the Irish Embassy in Paris who has direct contact with the French authorities. “Since these events, An Garda Síochána has conducted an intelligence assessment review and on Saturday the Commissioner briefed the National Security Committee and the Minister for Justice and Equality of our threat assessment. As indicated by the Minister for Justice & Equality yesterday, the threat level in this jurisdiction remains unchanged and the threat environment in this jurisdiction at the moment can be described as one where “an attack is possible but not likely”. Notwithstanding the current threat assessment, An Garda Síochána will keep under review the ongoing issues in France and elsewhere …

THE Clare Garda Division has received seven new cars so far in 2015. Fine Gael TD, Pat Breen and Senator Tony Mulcahy, in confirming the detail, said the fleet of new vehicles will help the fight against crime in communities throughout the county. “Our local gardaí will be really bolstered by this influx of new vehicles,which is part of the Government’s comprehensive plan to fight crime. As well as strengthening our Garda force and increasing the numbers of vehicles, the Minister for Justice, France Fitzgerald, is bringing in legislation to strengthen our response to burglaries. Too many people have had their homes violated and the proposed measures include longer sentences for repeat offenders,” they said. In a move to support the victims of crime, the minister is also planning to bring in legislation to allow for implementation of the EU Victims Directive, and new Garda Victim Support Offices will be established in Garda Divisions throughout Ireland, including Clare.

IFA President Eddie Downey has welcomed Justice Minister Francis Fitzgerald’s commitment to look more closely at the proposal to provide greater certainty to the legal status of prenuptial agreements. The uncertainty surrounding the legal recognition of prenuptial agreements, in the event of marriage breakdown, is a real issue which is impacting negatively on the timely lifetime transfer of the family farm, according to Mr Downey.. He said, “IFA is supportive of measures that can remove barriers to family farm transfer, and I emphasised to the minister that allaying the fears of parents would be an important supporting mechanism to facilitate the orderly transfer of the family farm. This is in line with other key policy measures required to address issues such as income security. This includes include IFA’s priority taxation proposal for this year’s budget, which would provide an incentive, through the taxation system for parents and children to farm in partnership together, prior to the lifetime transfer of the …

The planned introduction of legislation to allow for longer sentences for prolific burglars by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald will deter repeat offender, according to Senator Martin Conway. “I am delighted that Minister Fitzgerald is due to introduce a suite of measures to tackle the distressing issue of burglaries, said the Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on Justice, Disability and Equality “At the Fine Gael conference in Castlebar, the minister confirmed that she was planning to introduce new measures to deal with the issue including a new Burglary Response Unit. “While Operation Fiacla, which is a dedicated operation to reduce burglaries, has seen criminal charges brought forward in more than 4,000 cases, a new approach is required to deal with repeat offenders. “I will be urging the minister to expedite the publication of this legislation to respond to the level of break-ins carried out by repeat offenders,” the Clare senator said.

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, has announced  she intends to proceed with the enactment of legislation to promote mediation as a viable, effective and efficient adjunct to court proceedings. “Following my Private Members’ motion on mediation in the Seanad today, which was supported by the majority of senators; I am delighted that the Minister for Justice has now committed to the enactment of the Mediation Bill in early course,” commented Senator Martin Conway. He continiued, “Mediation is voluntary process of conflict prevention and resolution that allows the parties an opportunity to address their issues in a confidential, private and safe environment. It improves communication, narrows outstanding issues, defuses emotions and defines area of agreement. Statistics from the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland show a success rate for mediation averaging 80%. “I am confident that dealing with disputes in this way will provide the parties in dispute with the best possible opportunity to resolve their issues in a fast …