Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I support amendment No. 6, taking into account what Deputy Jim O'Callaghan and the Minister of State said, that the courts should already be taking all of the issues mentioned into consideration. We should ensure there is no doubt that they will take them into consideration by placing the provision on a statutory footing. I imagine most courts do take into account issues such as the mental health, disability and age of an alleged offender, but I do not see any reason we cannot ensure they must take them into account by enshrining it in legislation.

I have some concerns about amendment No. 7. We should be moving towards a position where the service will be provided by not-for-profit businesses, but if the amendment were to be accepted, it would create problems for the holders of contracts already in place for the electronic tagging of individuals. We are, however, supportive of amendment No. 6.