Dáil Éireann

New Burglary Act will help keep repeat burglars off the streets of Wicklow- Doyle

Andrew 2015, Dáil Éireann, Defence, Wicklow - East Carlow

new-burglary-act-will-make-Wicklow-saferFine Gael TD for Wicklow/ East Carlow Andrew Doyle has said that the new Burglary Act will help keep repeat burglars off the streets of Wicklow and improve the safety of our community.

“The Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald, announced that the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Act 2015 has come into operation. This is an important new act and means that from today bail can be denied to repeat offenders.

“The problem of repeat burglaries is an issue for many people in Wicklow. Statistics provided by the Garda Síochána show that 75% of burglaries are committed by 25% of burglars. This important Act allows for bail to be denied, and consecutive sentences to be given, to repeat burglars. It’s my hope that the act will reduce crime rates in Wicklow and will be a key weapon in the battle against crime.

“Home is the place where we should all feel most safe and secure. This is why Minister Fitzgerald is targeting those who commit burglaries. This Bill will help to keep repeat burglars off the streets and to improve the safety of our communities.

“The new Burglary Act also provides an important additional layer of support to Gardaí in implementing Operation Thor. These new provisions for tougher sentences and stricter bail for repeat offenders will now be available when persons charged as part of Operation Thor come before the courts. Operation Thor, which was launched in November 2015, is a multi-strand national anti-crime and anti-burglary operation. It involves a broad range of activities to tackle crime, particularly burglaries.

“This Government has reopened Templemore after it was closed by Fianna Fáil; €46 million has been allocated for Garda vehicles, many of which will be high-power vehicles for targeted operations; €18 million is being provided for the refurbishment of Garda stations and €205 million has been invested in new technology for An Garda Síochána. This is part of an unprecedented allocation of €875 million in capital funding for the Justice sector.

“The economic recovery, brought about by the policies of this Government and the hard work of the Irish people, means we can now invest more in key public services, Fine Gael has a long term plan to keep the recovery going. Our plan will deliver more and better new jobs and will allow us to continue targeted investment in areas like crime prevention.”

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Wicklow’s projects in the BT Young Scientist of the year Awards “Extraordinary” – Doyle

Andrew 2015, Dáil Éireann, Education, Wicklow - East Carlow

IMAG1902Fine Gael TD Andrew Doyle compliments all the Wicklow projects that entered the Annual BT Young Scientist Awards and applauds both the schools and young students for their dedication and inspirational research.

Deputy Doyle comments “After attending the RDS to see Wicklow’s young students showcase their talented projects, once again it was just simply breath taking. Wicklow’s young students have proven year on year that their ability in developing ground breaking and innovative scientific projects is a testament to their endeavour, dedicated research, and each schools participation and guiding involvement”

“A total of 371 schools in the Republic submitted projects for the January 2016 exhibition which represents 51% of all secondary schools. This is an increase of 28 schools or 8% of schools since the previous exhibition.

“The 52nd BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition has attracted a total of 2,048 entries from the island of Ireland with 4,449 students submitting their finest ideas and innovations for consideration across the science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects. In addition, BT Ireland announced that the gender split of entrants this year is 62% female, and 38% male.. Since 1965, over three quarters of a million people, spanning 49 years, have visited the Young Scientist Exhibition”

Andrew Doyle TD emphasised “Now over half a century in existence after been set up in 1963, the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition underpins the importance of our commitment to investment in youth, research and innovation and the contribution to our economy that these individual elements make cannot be undervalued, particularity with the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects playing a vital role in emerging talent”

“The level of innovation displayed by Wicklow’s young scientists is truly inspiring, with projects ranging from, An Investigation into the Effects of Weather on Cereal Crop Yields over a Ten Year Period in Ireland through to the Understanding the form of data input people gravitate towards and the implications it has on future technological evolutions. There was innovative research into an investigation in to the correlation between pupil dilation and physical effort and perceived physical effort. These are just a selection of some of the Wicklow projects highlighting the breath of talent in our young County Wicklow scientists.

“We must again pay tribute to the students, parents, teachers and organisers as a great celebration of creative and innovative thinking and talent that exists amongst Wicklow’s youth. It simply stresses the importance in cultivating and nurturing the counties talent of our future scientists and engineers and making sure we have the foundation of educational infrastructure and supports and a streamlined methodology of capitalising on these great projects” added Deputy Doyle

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