Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

The Minister tried for as long as he could to avoid the question, which is quite specific in its import, asking the Minister the number of suspects who have re-offended. Of course, hidden in his spin was the true figure, where he revealed that almost 30,000 crimes per annum are committed by persons who have been suspected and charged with serious crime. The Minister refuses to give the full story.

Would the Minister agree that the chief suspects in 15 murders committed in the past 20 months were out on bail and he has been particularly tardy in dealing with this issue? I suggest the real reason for his tardiness or inability to deal with this issue is prison overcrowding and the longer he delays in dealing with reform of the bail laws, the more law abiding citizens are refused by this Government a basic level of protection on our streets.

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