Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister made clear that this will be applied for only serious offences involving adults. While I agree with some of the sentiments expressed by Deputy Clare Daly regarding not-for-profit organisations, I do not know if such organisations would be up to the task.

As a Deputy representing a rural constituency, I believe electronic tagging must be used because, as gardaí have informed me, we do not have sufficient resources to physically monitor people. In a recent reply to a parliamentary question the Minister informed me that electronic tagging had been in place since the Bail Act was introduced seven years ago and the prosecution in cases involving bail applications had never applied to have the system used. I ask her to clarify this statement because I understood electronic tagging had been applied for in the past. Bail is not granted lightly and, as the Minister stated, if electronic tagging is not permitted, bail applications will be refused and we will clog up prison spaces with people who are under suspicion and have not been convicted.

I recently visited Roscrea and other places in Tipperary where obnoxious crimes had been committed involving people travelling long distances to invade homes and attack people before wandering off into the dead of night. A 90 year old was left traumatised having been beaten over the head with a walking stick. There must be some way of tracing individuals who visit this kind of carnage on elderly and defenceless people. While I understand Deputy Clare Daly's point about involving social workers to de-escalate matters, de-escalation does not apply to some people, especially those who have a large number of convictions for the same kinds of crimes. Some semblance of sense must prevail.

I have seen electronic tagging used in other jurisdictions and it saves significant police resources as it allows persons wearing the tags to be monitored from a monitoring station. Gardaí would not have to travel by squad car to visit a person for five or ten minutes in his or her home. The person could be anywhere for the next 24 hours. The system is outdated. I respect human rights and I do not like big brother watching people but we have to deal with circumstances in which people are frightened for their lives in their homes. This is making them sick and feeble and causing strokes in some cases. People end up in hospitals and nursing homes when they should be allowed to live in dignity in their homes. They deserve respect having worked all their lives and should be allowed to live in their homes without being terrorised by marauding gangs of thugs. We must strengthen legislation and support the Garda Síochána's efforts to deal with these people and get them off the streets. They do not need compassion and social workers because many of them abuse the system.

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