Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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29. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if there are plans to introduce stronger bail laws; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36663/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Bail laws in Ireland are comprehensive and the Bail Act 1997 has been revised and strengthened several times. However, I am committed to ensuring our bail laws are fit for purpose and have asked Lorcan Staines SC to assess current bail laws and make any recommendations he believes are appropriate, taking into account the requirements of constitutional justice.

While our bail laws provide for the refusal of bail in particular circumstances, the presiding judge is entirely independent in the exercise of their judicial functions, and the decision to grant bail in a particular case is solely a matter for the judge.

The Programme for Government also commits to implement electronic tagging for appropriate categories of offender, such as individuals released on bail while awaiting their trial for serious offences, and work is underway to achieve this with the commencement of a project to examine how electronic monitoring can be brought into use in line with existing legislative provisions.A steering group is in place, made up of sectoral representatives, including the Irish Prison Service, who will be involved in the delivery, and work has started on scoping out the practical operational considerations, including the technology to be used for relevant categories of offender to inform next steps. An initial rollout is expected later this year following a procurement exercise to select a service provider.