Mr. Séamus Boland:

It is a question I am interested in. I will clarify some misunderstandings that have been created as a result of general data. I was quite surprised when a specific report by the Centre for Justice Innovation was quite critical of the adult caution scheme. I have had a look at the data. To go back to what the Cathaoirleach said, the adult caution scheme has been in place since 2006 and covers approximately 24 different criminal offences, including the possession of cannabis. I took a quick, raw look at the data in the past 48 hours and tried to look at the same period the original report was written about, which I think was around 14 December 2020, when cannabis was introduced to the scheme, up to 20 February 2024. In total, more than 20,000 people were detected for simple possession of cannabis and more than 5,000 or 25% were dealt with via the adult caution. More than 15,000 seem at an immediate look not to have benefited from the adult caution, but when I drilled-----