Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

These supports are beyond overdue. It is precisely because we only have a pilot scheme in regard to youth services and nothing for adults that we need to fast-track these proposals or at least give this issue the priority it has not been given up to now. In putting what is proposed into the legislation we would be beefing up the onus on the Minister to look at this area, cost the supports and put this issue centre stage. If this is not put into this legislation there is no guarantee this will be done. This legislation is supposed to provide for an overhaul of our bail laws. If it does not address the supports issue, which it will not unless one of the amendments is adopted, we will be failing.

In 94% of the programmes conducted in England and Wales, young people attended all of their court hearings. In Victoria, Australia, a bail support programme reduced the amount of defendants being remanded. All of the interviewed magistrates said that without them they would have had to resort to remand sentence. In Glasgow, the women who availed of the service reduced their drug and alcohol use by 83% as a result of it. Their health and well-being improved and, more importantly, among the women who participated re-offending dropped by one third and crimes and dishonesty dropped by over 40%. There are tangible gains for victims in society, communities afflicted by crime and people who have led chaotic and damaged lives. We need to get to grips with this issue. We cannot continually long-finger it. I am constantly shocked by what constitutes "urgent" in this House versus the real world. To get legislation passed, unfortunately, takes forever. We have been dealing with a coroner's Bill for 17 years. Unfortunately, these issues cannot wait. This is our best bet to ensure that something is done or it is kept on track.

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