Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail)

The Bill will have the support of the Fianna Fáil Party because as the Minister acknowledged it is another Bill off the Fianna Fáil shelf. It is a good Bill and we want to see it passed as soon as possible. The Bill makes it a requirement for judges to consider community service orders as an alternative to prison sentences for minor offences. The previous Government, whom I supported, published an almost identical Bill earlier this year. We believe that the greater use, and broad acceptance of community service orders will benefit the Prison Service, the Exchequer, the community that benefits from their work and the offender.

This Bill is designed to increase these orders. As we know, community service orders direct an offender to do unpaid work in the community for a period of time as an alternative to prison. In my role as a local representative, I am often struck by the number of local bodies which express interest in taking on people on community service orders. There is a demand for services to be provided in the community and this provides readily available personnel, some of whom may have skills which might be suitable. It also saves that person from going to prison and the humiliation of that if it is not necessary.

The Bill requires a judge to consider community service where the alternative sentence is imprisonment for 12 months or less. I acknowledge the Fianna Fáil Bill referred to offences with sentences of six months or less. It is a matter of taste or judgment and I suppose 12 months is a better option because there was always a distinction in terms of the offences. If one was imprisoned for longer than 12 months, the offence was considered to be more grave in nature.

Our Bill never reached Second Stage due to the dissolution of the Dáil. That is nobody's fault but our own, so I will not blame that on the current Government. The intention was there.