Vol. 483 No. 6
417 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the plans, if any, he has to cut down on the prison population through the use of electronic tagging; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21548/97]
My Department has been monitoring the progress of electronic tagging trials in Britain and Sweden and I have asked officials to study the latest reports from Britain, which were published at the end of November, before submitting it to me for a decision as to whether or not it might be used in this jurisdiction. I should point out to the Deputy that the debate about electronic monitoring has not yet crystallised in any clear way. In addition, the cost of implementing such a scheme in this jurisdiction would be relatively high unless it was used extensively by the courts as an alternative to imprisonment. I will make a decision on this matter when my Department has concluded its examination.
