Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

Let me talk about bail, which concerns me greatly. I want the Minister to at least listen to what I have to say. I was horrified by the recent statistic that 15 of the people who died in violent circumstances last year were alleged to have been killed by people on bail. Urgent action is necessary on this front. We need a tougher approach to bail. Has the Minister proposals in this regard, either by way of changing the law such that previous convictions would have to be taken into account by a judge before deciding on a bail application or by way of some change in presumptions regarding people with previous convictions for violent crime?

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