David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 185: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to introduce a community payback scheme that will require prisoners who are not subject to automatic long prison terms to provide real services for the community that they have damaged; the time scale for the introduction of such a scheme as outlined in the Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8519/08]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that under the Criminal Justice (Community Service) Act, 1983, a Court may make a Community Service Order as an alternative to a sentence of imprisonment or detention in respect of any individual over the age of 16 years who has been convicted of a criminal offence and who consents to the Order being made. The Community Service Order requires an offender to perform unpaid work for between 40 and 240 hours, usually to be completed within 12 months. The aim of a Community Service Order is to rehabilitate the offender through the discipline of having to work in the community and the making of meaningful reparation to that community for his or her crime. The Probation Service of my Department has responsibility for the supervision and management of Community Service Orders.

The Programme for Government provides for a Community Pay Back Scheme which will build on the Community Service Scheme, currently the subject of a Value for Money and Policy Review by an Independent Evaluator.

The findings of that Review, which will be available mid year, will influence how best to progress this aspect of the Programme for Government currently under examination by my Department.