Noonan, MichaelThursday, 30 May 1985 |
Dáil Eireann Debate
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Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Official Secrets Act, 1963.
Limerick-East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. For reasons which have been explained in this House on a number of occasions already I could not undertake to indicate, by...
(Limerick East): The law is contained in the Official Secrets Act, 1963. That Act in the main was a consolidation of efforts; in effect, restating the then existing law contained in the Official Secr...
(Limerick East): My position is the general one adopted by Ministers, that one does not give commitments to legislation during parliamentary questions. One does not indicate by way of reply to a parl...
(Limerick East): In reply to the points raised and within the context of the overall answer I gave initially. There is a lot of merit and accuracy in what Deputy Brennan has said. An important legal ...
(Limerick East): It is exactly the same. Our 1963 Act is a consolidation of Acts which existed before the foundation of the State. In effect, it is the same legislation that was brought in and conso...
(Limerick East): It is clear from what I have been saying that that point already got attention in my Department. It is also worth remarking that an official examination in Britain by the Franks Commi...
(Limerick East): No, it is not complete. A case was taken here under the Official Secrets Act of which Deputies are aware and later there was the Ponting case and, obviously, officials in my Departme...
(Limerick East): Thank you, Deputy. In reply to Deputy Hyland, I am not prepared to give a commitment. All legislation falls under two heads: first is it necessary and, second where does it rank on ...
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Legal Status of Children.
(Limerick East): The question of ratification of this convention will be considered following the enactment of the proposed Status of Children Bill, details of which were given in a memorandum publish...
(Limerick East): I am advised that it would enable us to sign the convention if passed in its present form.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Garda Security for Banking Groups.
(Limerick East): A Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 5 to 8 inclusive, together. I would refer the Deputies to the answer which I gave to a question on this subject from Deputy Bernar...
(Limerick East): As Deputies are aware, following a robbery of £432,984 from a security van near Newcastle West in County Limerick on 7 June 1978, when Deputy G. Collins was Minister, the Government d...
(Limerick East): Yes. I am sure Deputies like Deputy Brennan will use Question Time to do that but it would be wrong to put the emphasis and the onus on the banks. The banks provide a monetary servi...
(Limerick East): This is covered in question No. 9. It would not be fair to pre-empt——
(Limerick East): Yes. There is another question down on this subject and I do not want to pre-empt that question.
(Limerick East): This matter has been considered and the decision taken by the Government was not to impose such a charge, principally for the reason I have already given but also for other reasons
(Limerick East): Not that I am aware of.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Football Match Violence.
(Limerick East): It is a coincidence that we have such a question down today, after the events in Brussels last night. It is appropriate that I should sympathise with the relatives and friends of the...
(Limerick East): The Minister of State at the Department of Education is primarily responsible, in association with the relevant sporting bodies, for safety and crowd control measures at sporting fixt...
(Limerick East): The day immediately following on a catastrophic tragedy is not the best day for enunciating policy.
(Limerick East): Certainly, I shall take the Deputy's recommendations into account.
(Limerick East): It is always easy to act in that context.
(Limerick East): There is always support for almost any kind of action in the aftermath of a tragedy, if that action seems to be related to the possibility of avoiding a recurrence. All I am saying i...
(Limerick East): Very important.
(Limerick East): I am not so aware. But, if the Deputy assures me that the situation is such, I accept what the Deputy says. The Committee of the Council of Europe have made recommendations, first, ...
(Limerick East): I am putting it in the context of international agreement and international recommendations. Ireland has now been co-opted to the expert group who are dealing with spectator violence....
(Limerick East): First, I do not think it is as likely to happen at an all-Ireland final. The record of the GAA has been very good in this respect.
(Limerick East): No, the GAA supporters are very well behaved. There is a particular problem with soccer, especially when British teams are involved. That is generally accepted. It is not as likely t...
(Limerick East): Secondly, the vast majority of our young people are very well behaved, either when participating in sport or as spectators. We have had problems with visitors, but our young people ha...
(Limerick East): The decision is normally made on local knowledge and information as to what is likely to happen. One can predict if there might be aggression between supporters in certain matches, b...
(Limerick East): Probably there is some merit in that but by and large we have not had a history of crowd violence at matches——
(Limerick East): The situation is in hand. The replies I have given today indicate an awareness of the possibility of a problem arising. Certainly the Garda will liaise with the sporting organisatio...
(Limerick East): Is the Deputy referring to the country or to this House?
(Limerick East): There is not much one can say in reply to that intervention. It is an operational matter. I know the Garda take account of past experience when they are making arrangements. Probabl...
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Garda Drug Unit.
(Limerick East): The allocation of members of the Garda Síochána to particular duties is a matter for the Garda authorities at the appropriate level having regard to local circumstances, available Gar...
(Limerick East): I have no information at all to suggest that what the Deputy says is so. The facts, as presented to me, are that a special unit set up in October 1983 operated and was terminated in ...
(Limerick East): I am always careful not to be too dogmatic about things like this. Drugs are like forest fires, they flare up when one thinks one has them under control. But certainly it seems to ...
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Prison.
(Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together. It is intended to locate a place of detention for 320 male juveniles and a prison for 144, in which it is intended to accommodate ...
(Limerick East): The Deputy must have misunderstood me. I reaffirmed what was the original intention. I said it is intended to locate a place of detention for 320 male juveniles, young males, and the...
(Limerick East): Yes.
(Limerick East): There are various ways in which one can use accommodation. The intention would be that it would be used for males from 16 to 21, like St. Patrick's. As Deputies are aware, the Depar...
(Limerick East): It is a fairly loose expression. It is normally used when talking about terms of imprisonment imposed on conviction by the District Court, which could impose a maximum sentence of 12...
(Limerick East): There are women prisoners in a wing in Limerick prison and in the womens prison in Mountjoy. The accommodation in Limerick is very good and some women prisoners serving long sentence...
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Prisoner's Mail.
(Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 15, inclusive, together. These three questions relate to the same prisoner and were originally put down for answer on 4 December 1984.
(Limerick East): A postal order for £5 was sent by the Governor of the prison to a solicitor acting on behalf of the prisoner's mother and receipt of that was acknowledged.
(Limerick East): Are we talking about the same £5?
(Limerick East): I outlined the results of the governor's investigation into the loss of the registered letter in which £5 was said to have been sent to the prisoner by his mother. They could not est...
(Limerick East): I have no evidence that the prisoner sent any letter to the Deputy.
(Limerick East): I have no evidence that the prisoner did not send a letter to the Deputy. All I am saying is that——
(Limerick East): I do not have that evidence either. All I am saying is that a postal order for £5 was sent—— (Interruptions.)
(Limerick East): The Deputy could be into conspiracy because he also talks about the prisoner being transferred to Cork as a result of a visit to Mountjoy by the Select Committee on Crime, Lawlessness...
(Limerick East): The permission for the visit by the Select Committee on Crime, Lawlessness and Vandalism, of which Deputy Mitchell is a member, was given following a telephone call on 9 September 198...
(Limerick East): It was not made before 15 August. The arrangements were made by telephone call. The Deputy is making a lot out of what seems to be a series of allegations for which I cannot see any...
(Limerick East): I informed the Deputy of the results of the governor's investigation. There is an allegation that a registered letter was sent but I cannot prove whether or not it was received. How...
(Limerick East): To reduce the level of hassle from the Deputy. It was certainly worth £5.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Glanworth (Cork) Garda Station.
(Limerick East): As the Deputy is aware, it is close on 30 years since there was a Garda station in Glanworth. The Garda authorities consider that the current policing arrangements for the Glanworth a...
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Repeal of Vagrancy Act.
(Limerick East): As the Deputy is no doubt aware, only one section — section 4 — of that Act is in force here, and not all of that section. The Law Reform Commission are examining the law on vagrancy...
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Kerry Babies Tribunal.
(Limerick East): The terms of reference of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the “Kerry babies” case were set out in a resolution passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas. The resolution appears at column ...
(Limerick East): It would be impossible to say.
(Limerick East): The enabling legislation which allows the Oireachtas to set up tribunals of this sort has a provision which enables the judge to award costs as he sees fit. Until the judge decides ...
(Limerick East): I have no idea what it will cost.
Adjournment Debate. - Prison Security.
(Limerick East): When it is the truth what else can I say?
Limerick East): The House will be aware of the efforts which have been made to ensure that adequate accommodation is available in the prisons to cope with the increasing number being committed to cust...
(Limerick East): Indiscriminately throwing away taxpayers' money is not the solution to all our problems.
(Limerick East): The Fianna Fáil Party brought out a Programme for Government.
(Limerick East): I was about to say that the local government programme announced during the week by Fianna Fáil is costed at in excess of £400 million if one takes capital and current expenditure tog...
(Limerick East): I did advance the plans, but we are in a time——
(Limerick East): I have increased it from 1,200 to 1,950——
(Limerick East):——in a very short period.
(Limerick East): The administration the Deputy supported spent over £13 million on blueprints, consultants and architects and provided no cells. I inherited the problem. (Interruptions.)
(Limerick East): I am solving it. It is difficult to solve it and I would ask for the support of the Deputy in solving the problem.
(Limerick East): I would ask the Deputy not to inflame the situation and not to try to make political points. The Deputy usually behaves very responsibly. I know the Deputy has an extra burden on hi...
Written Answers. - Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.
Limerick East): There are no proposals for the direct State funding of neighbourhood watch committees but the cost of media promotion, explanatory booklets and other literature relating to the scheme...
Written Answers. - Detention of Minors.
Limerick East): The Garda have instructions at present that where they find it necessary to question a child or take a statement from him they should, as a general rule, request a parent or guardian o...
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