Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree with one aspect of Deputy Wallace's contribution. The last thing I want is the Irish Prison Service or aspects of our criminal justice system to be privatised. The Deputy is correct in referring to the position in the United States where it has become profitable for large companies to ensure the prison population is increased and certain preventative measures are introduced in the penal system. However, amendment No. 4 would require that any contracts for the performance of monitoring duties entered into by the Government with private providers "shall stipulate that such activities shall be performed on a non-commercial, not-for-profit basis." No private provider would enter into a contract on the basis that it is not for profit. The effect of this would be that the State would have to provide the monitoring service and we would have to ensure the State would be responsible for such a service. I do not know if the State has the capacity to do that at present, although maybe it should seek to get involved in this area in due course. However, if we want to allow and encourage monitoring, which would benefit the applicant who is seeking bail because the alternative is that he or she will not be granted bail, this amendment would prevent it from happening. I oppose the amendment for this reason.

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