Vol. 452 No. 7
41 Kathleen Lynch asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons imprisoned for civil debt or the inability to pay fines in each of the years 1990 to 1994; the progress, if any, which has been made towards fulfilling the Government commitment to ending imprisonment in such cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8019/95]
The number of persons imprisoned for failure to comply with a court order to make payment in discharge of a civil debt, or for non-payment of fines, was 1,121 in 1990, 965 in 1991 and 1,655 in 1992. The information in respect of the years 1993 and 1994 is being compiled and will be published in due course.
The commitment in the Government programme is for the ending of imprisonment, where practicable, for civil debt and inability to pay fines. A number of options are being considered including the attachment of earnings, the payment of fines by instalments and, in suitable cases, the substitution of community service orders. My overall objective is to reserve scarce custodial accommodation for those for whom there is no reasonable alternative and to use prison only as a last resort. I will make a further statement on the matter when my examination is concluded.
