Ms Joan Deane:

I agree with much of what Dr. Rogan and Ms Malone have said. It seems that existing legislation could be sufficient to deal with this issue. I think our application of that legislation leaves a lot to be desired. We must acknowledge that we have a problem. Every problem must be measured if it is to be solved. If we can measure the problem and present the proper information to a court to enable it to tailor the bail conditions, as Ms Malone has suggested, that would be a good step forward. In the specific case of homicide, I suggest that the psychological report, the Garda evidence and the views of the family should be taken into account before bail is granted. The granting of bail is not something to which we would object. We understand that bail happens, but we have an issue when nothing happens about breaches of bail. It is a very identifiable problem. It is not hidden. It is out there. What can we do to address it? Is it a Garda resource issue? Perhaps resources need to be put into this area.