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

Serious offences committed while people are on bail should trigger my interest and that of other policymakers. The offences I outlined, including theft from shops, public order offences and drunkenness offences, are the offences committed by people on bail. With the greatest of respect to the Deputy, I do not think they are the issues he is concerned about. He is more concerned about serious offences.

The percentage of individuals who are now in custody and are not on bail has increased significantly in recent years. For instance, it is notable that of the 5,155 people who were in custody on 3 March, 20% were on remand. That is significantly more than in previous years. Since March 2015, there has been a significant increase in the number of people in custody. In the same period, the number of people on remand has increased by 112%, which reflects the approach of the courts in refusing bail where they deem it appropriate to do so. Courts are more in tune with the fact that they should not be granting bail in circumstances where they think it not appropriate. That is reflected in the figures.

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