326. Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that applications for vetting to the Garda vetting office take between 12 and 14 weeks to process; if his further attention has been drawn to the fact that the delay in the vetting process is creating an obstacle to persons unemployed taking up employment and is a cause for concern to schools and voluntary organisations across the country who wish to fill vacant positions; if he recognises that the increase in the number of vetting applications requires the allocation of additional staff to the vetting office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23338/10] Continue reading »

146. Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform  the procedures that are in place to effect the removal of a parent and their children from the jurisdiction in situations where the children are in the care of the Health Service Executive and the parent is the subject of a Deportation Order and in cases where children have been removed from the jurisdiction in such circumstances; and the number of children that have spent some time in care apart from their parents prior to deportation in each of the past ten years. [9358/10]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern):  In arriving at repatriation related decisions, all reasonable steps are taken to have families kept together so that they are all repatriated at the same time, thus preserving the family unit. I would see no reason to depart from such a policy. In situations where a parent and children are not co-operating with the deportation process, or the parent is being detained whilst awaiting removal, children older than infants are placed in the temporary care of the HSE to enable the repatriation of the family together. My Department does not maintain records of the numbers of children cared for by the HSE in such situations.

 352. Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform  the consideration given to designating the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the European Court of Justice sitting in Luxembourg as prescribed bodies to which section 40(7)(b) of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004 apply and to ask that the aforesaid courts be so prescribed by an order of the Minister pursuant to the 2004 Act to ensure that no difficulty arises in the giving of information or evidence given in proceedings to which section 40 of the 2004 Act applies which result in a related hearing taking place in either of the aforementioned European courts. [6711/10] Continue reading »

 365.  Deputy Alan Shatter  asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform   if his attention has been drawn to the establishment of a new children’s mental health coalition; Continue reading »

364. Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of unaccompanied children who have come here, aged six years and under, aged between seven years and 12 years, and aged between 13 years and 18 years, who have been allowed to remain here upon reaching 18 years. [3105/10] Continue reading »

192. Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the salary payable to the chief registrar of the High Court; to individual High Court registrars; and to county registrars of the Circuit Court. [47449/09] Continue reading »

191. Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the remuneration payable to an ordinary judge of the District Court, the Circuit Court, the High Court, and the Supreme Court; the salary payable to the Presidents of the District Court, the Circuit Court and the High Court; the salary payable to the Chief Justice; and the salary payable to the Master of the High Court. [47448/09] Continue reading »

42. Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps he will take to ask the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána to reopen the investigation into the murder and suspected rape in 1970 of a person (details supplied); Continue reading »

Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the removal of a child (details supplied) from his mother at Dublin Airport on 15 August 2009 and of the deportation to Nigeria of the child’s mother on 1 September 2009; Continue reading »

208. Deputy Alan Shatter asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Law Reform Commission in its consultation paper Legal Aspects of Family Relationships has provisionally recommended the establishment of a guardianship register; his views on whether the establishment of such a register is in the public interest and in the context of the recommendation made to not seek an order for costs against the plaintiff in a High Court case (details supplied). [44196/09] Continue reading »