Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

359. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the cost of introducing electronic tagging. [46170/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Electronic monitoring is mainly used by the Irish Prison Service to monitor prisoners who have been granted temporary release from prison to attend as hospital in-patients. It thus allows for a reduction in staffing costs for hospital escorts. Following a competitive tender in 2014, Chubb Ireland Ltd. was awarded the contract for the supply of electronic monitoring of prisoners for the Irish Prison Service.

The total cost of the provision of electronic tagging in 2014 was €73,961 (inclusive of VAT). The annual cost of the contract depends on the number of prisoners who are monitored throughout the course of the year. The cost for 2015 to date is €152,335.78 (inclusive of VAT). So far in 2015, there have been 49 prisoners in total who were electronically monitored while on temporary release as hospital in-patients.

Subject to legislative amendment included in the General Scheme of the Bail Bill, it is intended to provide for electronic monitoring to be used in selected cases as a condition of bail. The introduction of an electronic monitoring system for bail purposes will require a separate tendering process and involve the Garda Síochána. The costs will depend on the type of system deployed, the numbers monitored and the outcome of the tender process.

Provision for the electronic monitoring of certain sex offenders post release was also included in the General Scheme of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill and this would involve the Probation Service. Again the costs would depend on the type of system deployed, the numbers monitored and the outcome of the tender process.