David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I listened very carefully to what Deputy Daly had to say. The Deputy's amendment seeks to oblige the Minister for Justice and Equality to undertake a review of bail supports available and to make costed recommendations to Government with regard to improving the provision of such services. I am sure the Deputy is aware that there are no specific bail support schemes for adults, such as those outlined in her amendment, currently operating in the State. They do not exist.

Having listened to what Deputy Daly said, I believe she has made some interesting points. Perhaps it is something the committee might consider reporting on at some stage. That might be helpful. I will consider bail supports with respect to restorative justice and penal reform but at the moment such measures do not exist for adults.

I am advised that there are arrangements in place to assist persons with particular needs who may come before the courts. In that regard I am advised that psychiatric reports may be provided for the courts which can, in particular, aid the courts in diverting people with mental illness away from prison. In certain cases, the court may adjourn to allow the person to access appropriate treatment and bail may be granted on that basis.

Bail support schemes are more commonly considered in relation to young offenders. In that regard, I understand that a bail supervision scheme has been introduced and is being rolled out on a pilot basis in the Dublin area. This initiative operates under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. The intention is to roll it out nationally in time.

That said, there are no bail schemes for adults, such as those outlined, currently in place and the Government has no plans to introduce any new measures in this area but I am interested in what the Deputy said and it should be explored further. In addition, it is not appropriate to provide in statute that the Minister should make any particular recommendations to Government. For those reasons I cannot accept the Deputy's amendment but she has raised some interesting topics I feel we could explore further down the line.