Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 238: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of prisoners given early release in each of the past 12 months to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47632/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed that the gathering of the information requested would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and effort and could not be justified in current circumstances where there are other significant demands on resources.

Temporary/early release arrangements operate similarly to a system of parole, which is a feature of prison systems worldwide. They are an important vehicle for re-integrating an offender into the community in a planned way. The generally accepted view is that the risk to the community is reduced by planned re-integration of offenders compared with their return to the community on the completion of their full sentence. Each case is examined on its own merits and the safety of the public is paramount when decisions are made. In addition, all releases are subject to conditions, which in the vast majority of cases include a requirement to report on a regular basis to the offender's Garda Station. Of course, any offender who breaches his or her conditions may be arrested and returned to prison immediately by the Gardaí.