Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My understanding is that a base device is required. Perhaps technology will evolve, but if it is at the stage where something, albeit something small, needs to be installed, then the Bill allows for that. This does not really do anything other than ensure there is permission from the homeowner. If somebody is released from prison and he or she cannot comply with release commitments that include wearing a tag that is working effectively, then he or she is in breach of the release conditions and will be sent back to prison. That is very clear and is set out in the Bill.

As I said already, the evidence that has come back to us is that those who actually engage with this in other jurisdictions are more likely not to reoffend because they want to get out early and get on with their lives, although I appreciate that does not apply to everybody. It is a challenging issue. Electronic tagging does not prevent somebody from committing a crime but it means we know where he or she was when the crime was committed. Obviously, somebody being in a particular place at a particular time does not mean the offence has been committed; it just forms part of the evidence. Deleting this section would remove our ability to make sure this can be applied wherever a person is residing.