Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on the recent report by the Central Statistics Office on criminal re-offending in Ireland. [52822/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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As I said when welcoming its publication, this is the first time there has been such an assessment of the impact and effectiveness of non-custodial measures on rates of re-offending. The results are interesting with the study showing that almost 63% of offenders who were given an alternative sanction by the Courts in 2007 had not re-offended after two years.

This study has established reliable recidivism data on offenders under probation supervision and on community service orders and considers variations in recidivism as they relate to the type of original order, gender and age of offenders, category of offence and subsequent offence. Its findings show that the recidivism or re-offending rate was 37.2% for the particular cohort of offenders who were under probation supervision in the two years after their supervision ended.

I believe the value of the work that has been done to produce this report is that it provides a clearer overview of community sanctions outcomes which will better inform the work of the Probation Service in helping to make our communities safer. I look forward to receiving such evidence-based material on an annual basis.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that studies on recidivism consistently show that offenders who go through restorative processes are less likely to reoffend that those who proceed through criminal courts. [52823/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am not clear as to which research studies or findings on recidivism and restorative justice practice the Deputy may have in mind. That said, I believe the concept of restorative justice is central to the pursuit of public protection, not just as a concept or principle, but as a model for practice by the various criminal justice agencies.

The Probation Service, in partnership with community based organisations, is engaged in the promotion, development and delivery of restorative justice initiatives.  Extending the range of restorative justice schemes is a strategic priority for the Probation Service.

As I have said before, my focus is to encourage the use, to the greatest extent possible, of the menu of non-custodial options available to the courts. I believe the restorative justice concept has a place in that range of available options and it is my intention to build on the progress being made.