Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 51: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position in relation to the system of electronic tagging with full details of the operation of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40060/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The enabling provisions to allow for the use of Electronic Monitoring are provided for in the Criminal Justice Acts of 2006 and 2007.

As the Deputy will appreciate any decision to introduce Electronic Monitoring here, as a component of penal policy development, must be informed by a detailed analysis of the costs, advances in technology, the offender cohort most suitable and the likely overall impact on reducing recidivism and preventing crime.

I have an open mind on how Electronic Monitoring might assist in penal policy formulation having regard to prisoner numbers. That is why I have asked my Department to keep developments in other jurisdictions under close review. This will allow us to make informed decisions at a future date on how Electronic Monitoring might assist with the management of a particular group or groups of offenders in this jurisdiction.