Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 582: To ask the Minister for Justice and Law Reform the progress he has made in implementing the Final Report of the National Commission on Restorative Justice; the amount of the identified estimated annual savings of €8.3 million which have been achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1240/11]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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In my reply to Parliamentary Question 129 on 25 November I announced that the Probation Service will be introducing a scheme to test a range of restorative interventions for adult offenders based on the recommendations contained in the final report of the National Commission for Restorative Justice. This will enable my Department to evaluate what role such interventions, as recommended in the report, might play having regard to overall effectiveness, potential, and value for money considerations.

In my reply I also indicated that the Probation Service will monitor, oversee, and evaluate the implementation of the scheme and will provide a report on the effectiveness and value for money of the model after a 12 month operational period. The Deputy can be assured that my focus is always to encourage the use, to the greatest extent possible, of the menu of non-custodial options available to the courts.