Ms Deirdre Malone:

I do not want to stray into an area I do not have expertise in. I agree it appears that unless there are sufficient Garda resources to back up the system, the system does not deliver anything one would wish it to deliver. It was stated earlier that surely electronic tagging would be a good thing if it is used as an alternative to pre-trial detention. I echo the concerns of Dr. Rogan about electronic tagging. If it was used as a genuine alternative where custody was very likely, there might be some merit in it but the reality is we are very far from being prepared. We are operating with very little information when it comes to the potential impact on rates of incarceration, our court system or our ability to deliver it. I echo Dr. Rogan's view about a full impact assessment. There are a number of other steps that could be taken such as not having pro formabail conditions, tailoring those conditions for the right people to meet them and looking into the issue of data sharing among criminal justice agencies, which is not yet at a level where it could inform us and allow us to have an evidence-based policy on all these issues.