Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 223: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the average cost per hour of supervising an offender on a community service sentence in 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30528/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Criminal Justice (Community Service) Act, 1983 provides for the performance of unpaid work in the community by a person who is 16 years or over, who has been convicted of an offence, for which the appropriate penalty would be an immediate custodial sentence and who has given his/her consent to the Court.

The precise information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. The compilation of these statistics would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort to prepare and could not be justified in current circumstances where there are other significant demands on resources. However, I can advise the Deputy that €2.37 m was expended on the administration of the Community Service Order Scheme during 2005, that figure does not include professional, administrative or other ancillary costs. I can further advise the Deputy that 1,167 Orders were made in 2005 of which 449 persons completed the full number of hours specified in their Order in that year.

The Deputy will be aware that, section 7(2) of the Criminal Justice (Community Service) Act, 1983 allows an offender, in respect of whom a community service order is made, twelve months to complete his/her specified hours beginning on the date an Order was made.