Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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501. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to commence the various provisions of the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014; the reason it has not yet been commenced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11905/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Fines (Payments and Recovery) Act 2014 represents a very significant change in the way justice will be administered by the courts. The aim is to seek to effectively eliminate, in so far as is possible the need for a judge to commit anyone to prison for the non-payment of a fine. As well as introducing an option for persons to pay by instalment, there are also changes in the way in which those who fail to pay fines are dealt with, with a range of options available to judges which are recovery orders, attachment to earnings and community service. Such change has implications for agencies across the Justice sector, including the Courts and the Courts Service, An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service. Changes of the scale proposed in the Fines (Payments and Recovery) Act 2014 require a major overhaul of IT systems and of administrative systems.

Work is ongoing in preparing for the implementation of the Act. The area most directly affected by the changes is the Courts and the Courts Service is working on a number of developments which will ensure that the implementation of the legislation, and the new procedures which will operate under it, are as efficient as possible.

This has required work to upgrade the IT systems to ensure that the instalment payment system operates effectively and that the necessary accounting procedures are in place for the recording of payments. Changes are also required in the way that information is transferred between the Courts Service and An Garda Síochána to ensure that both organisations have fully up to date information on the cases and their current status.

Good progress is being made in the preparatory work. All aspects of the recovery of fines are being outsourced to an external provider and the procurement process is nearing conclusion. The successful tender has been decided upon and the contract will be signed shortly. It is important that preparations are done correctly to ensure that the significant changes being implemented in the fines system as a result of the legislation are implemented smoothly and effectively from the start. It is envisaged that preparations will be completed in the 3rd quarter of 2015.