Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I do not understand the argument. Maybe it is something lacking in me. Clearly, one does not just put a tag on a person's ankle. A monitoring process must put in place. If one reads the Criminal Justice Act and the research, one will see it is as much about rehabilitation as it is about confinement or monitoring, and therefore it has to be a combination of issues.

If that section of the Act was not commenced, that is an issue not for the current Government but for the previous one which brought it in.I am not justifying the answer in any way. I am just expanding the argument. The Minister for Justice and Equality has initiated the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015 and has indicated that it will be part of it process to deal with offenders. That is the Government's contribution. It is clear that action must be taken because people reoffend and we need to deal with that fact. The Senator stated that a tag costs in the region of €6. Tagging burglars is not simply a matter of putting tags on them, there must be a monitoring process as well. If we are serious about changing people's behaviour, because that is what this should involve, there must surely be a role for the probation service to play in terms of engagement with those people.

The solution is not just as the Senator outlined. I do not have in my possession the in-depth details required to answer the question in its entirety. The cost cannot be just €6 or so per tag. We must also take account of the process behind this - which involves monitoring and supervision to ensure a person does not reoffend - because that adds to the overall cost. Things do not exist in a vacuum. I do not necessarily think that tagging is the solution to all burglaries but it is part of such a solution. Equally, I know that a repeat offender would be able to find a way to defeat it because people find ways and means around everything. The Minister has referred to the fact that 75% of burglaries are committed by 25% of burglars and we need to deal with that in a far more comprehensive way. The Senator cannot blame this Administration for something that the Government led by his party did not commence.