Tag Archives: Senator Martin Conway

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.

A committee set up in opposition to the route of a proposed new inner relief road in Ennistymon will meet with senior Clare County Council officials again later this month. The group, made up of residents and local representatives, met with officials from the local authority on Monday and had “a full and frank exchange of views”, according to committee chairman, Senator Martin Conway. The committee was set up at a large public meeting on January 23, after it emerged that the council’s “preferred solution” to congestion at Blake’s Corner would likely result in the demolition of three homes, including one belonging to a young family and another to an elderly couple. “Following our mandate from the public meeting, I have been in regular contact with senior officials in Clare County Council, regarding the threat to family homes and businesses as a result of the proposed inner relief road. These discussions culminated in a meeting between the committee and council …

Fine Gael Clare Senator and Seanad Spokesperson on Justice, Martin Conway and his party colleague, Pat Breen have  welcomed the historic announcement by President Obama that aims to protect up to five million undocumented immigrants from deportation. “The President’s plan promises to lift the threat of deportation and to allow the undocumented to work and travel more freely within the United States. “It will allow undocumented immigrants who are parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, known as green card holders, to legally live and work in the country for a period of three years. “The undocumented Irish in the US want to be legal. They want to pay their taxes. They want to participate in the society which they now call home. Many of the illegal Irish in America are now in long term relationships with families of their own, who to participate fully in their adopted country. “I believe that this action by President Obama represents a …

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 …

Fine Gael Clare Senator and Seanad spokesperson on Justice, Equality and Disability, Martin Conway, has proposed the nationwide extension of the Small Areas Policing Programme currently operated by An Garda Síochána in Dublin. The Small Areas Policing Programme aims to put gardaí back in touch with the communities they serve by building relationships with local people, instead of just responding to crime after it happens. It currently operates in Dublin with great success since its inception five years ago. “I believe that this ‘back to basics’ programme, which reconnects the gardaí with the communities they serve represents a welcome return to the core essence of policing-community engagement. It represents an adherence to the fundamental mission of An Garda Síochána, which is to work with communities to protect and serve. In the course of an Adjournment Debate on this matter in the Seanad Senator Conway asked the Minister to consider the expansion of this programme to cover the whole country in …