Mr. Brendan Ryan:

None whatsoever. The money goes through our financial system. It comes into our office and individual judges will issue directions as to how it is to be disbursed. We just issue the money. That is our role.

In February the Government approved the drafting and publication of the general scheme of the criminal justice (community sanctions) Bill. The proposed legislation will replace the Probation of Offenders Act 1907 with modern provisions dealing with community sanctions and the role of the Probation Service. The new Bill will abolish the poor box and replace it with reparation funds to provide for a fair, equitable and transparent system of reparation that will apply only to minor offences dealt with by the District Court. The replacement of the poor box with a statutory reparation fund was recommended, as the Deputy may recall, by the Law Reform Commission in 2005. The new reparation fund will be used to provide additional funding for services for the victims of crime and compensation payments payable by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal. The legislation will clearly provide that the fund may not be used for any purpose other than the provision of compensation, reparation and assistance for the victims of crime.