In early February, the Government approved the drafting of a Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill to replace the Probation of Offenders Act 1907 with modern provisions dealing with community sanctions and the role of the Probation Service in the criminal justice system.
The General Scheme of the Bill, which is available on my Department's website, has been submitted to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality for pre-legislative consideration and has been submitted to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting. The issue of the applicability of the proposed legislation to road traffic offences will be considered during the drafting of the Bill in consultation with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport.