Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 367: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he is satisfied with the operation of the court poor box system or whether it should be put on a statutory footing. [39708/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The use of the poor box has evolved over the years and, while each court of first instance (High, Circuit and District) has used the system on occasion, it is mainly used in the District Court where, typically, the judge may order the defendant to pay a donation into the court poor box in lieu of a criminal conviction. Payments made to the Court poor box are accounted for in the Court office concerned and the accounting procedures are subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Monies paid out of the Court poor box are at the discretion of the Judge. The Courts Service maintains a full record of all receipts and payments in each local Court Office. In the main, monies are paid out to charities, schools, youth organisations and the Probation Service.

In 2005, the Law Reform Commission published a report entitled 'The Court Poor Box: Probation of Offenders' which recommends that reform of the system should take place in the context of the introduction of an expanded range of non-custodial sanctions and the poor box should be replaced by a statutory fund to be known as the Reparation Fund. My Department is examining the report.