Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Anything that tidies up the system would improve it. However, I do not want to give the impression that when bench warrants are issued, a significant proportion of those for whom they are issued do not turn up. From security briefings and from following Northern issues, I know they may not always turn up at the prescribed time but they do turn up.

I do not have the figure for those who are evading justice completely. The Garda Síochána and Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform view on this is that it is inevitable in any criminal justice system that at any given time there would be a significant number of warrants awaiting execution. It should be borne in mind that the vast majority of the outstanding warrants relate to financial penalties. Most of the figures relate to fines.

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