Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The electronic monitoring of an offender after he or she has completed a custodial sentence is not currently provided for in our law. The programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce a series of post-imprisonment restraint orders for violent and sexual offenders to include electronic monitoring and other restrictions, which may be imposed at the time of sentencing. The Sex Offenders Act 2001 introduced the sex offenders' register, post release supervision orders for sex offenders and civil orders restricting sex offenders in certain ways.

The Department of Justice and Equality has been conducting a wide-ranging examination of the law on sexual offences and a review of the Sex Offenders Act 2001 formed an integral part of that examination. Arising from the review, the Minister expects to seek Government approval for legislative proposals, including a number of amendments to the 2001 Act, later this year. Legislative proposals being considered include measures for the electronic monitoring of sex offenders in specific circumstances and changes with regard to civil sex offender orders to make it easier to apply to a court for such an order.

Apart from the post-release orders applicable to sex offenders, the law provides for a range of orders that may apply, post-release, to persons convicted of other offences. These include the registration requirement for drug trafficking offenders, Part 9 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006, the monitoring and protection of persons orders under section 26 of the Criminal Justice Act 2007 and post-release orders, in the case of serious offences, as provided for in section 14 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009.

The Minister's current priority is measures relating to sex offenders. When these have been finalised, consideration will be given to what new measures may be appropriate to violent offenders. I should add the Minister announced yesterday that he has established a working group to conduct a strategic review of penal policy. Electronic monitoring will be examined in that context.

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