Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Minister of State and his officials on bringing forward this Bill. As Senator Barrett has noted and we all agree, the main purpose of the Bill is reduce substantially the number of people sent to prison for non-payment of fines. That number is still scandalously high despite the well-intentioned passage of the Fines Act 2010. Once this Bill is passed I envisage a broader range of alternatives available such that imprisonment no longer remains the default option for people who cannot pay fines. I welcome this and I also welcome the various measures in the Bill, especially the potential for the use of attachment of earnings and community service orders as alternatives to imprisonment. This is part of a progressive move towards reducing the use of imprisonment. I welcome the reduction in the numbers of committals to prison in that regard.