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

I have always held the view that somebody is better off being electronically tagged and out of prison than in prison. I say this based on every perspective, particularly that of civil liberties. It is also of huge advantage as far as the taxpayer is concerned because the average cost of keeping someone in prison is approximately €2,000 per week. The figures I receive from the UK indicate that it costs £800 per month, which is about €1,200, to tag someone. This translates to about €300 per week. If those figures are correct or still stand, it would be——

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