John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will tell you where I am coming from. Operation Thor was announced with a lot of fanfare and with a very small amount of money, when one looks at the overtime bill. Electronic tagging was thrown in as an afterthought after the announcement was made. In my opinion, it was done to quell concerns about the issue arising from bail and burglaries around the country. It was thrown in by the Department and the Minister. It seems to me that the witnesses are unconvinced about electronic tagging in some cases, the costs involved and the efficacy of electronic monitoring. There is a sense within the Department that it might not be the most effective way of dealing with recidivism and repeat offenders. That is what I take from what the witnesses have said. They have continually said that it is very expensive and other jurisdictions have found it to be unworkable because of that. It is considerably different from what was said a number of days ago.