Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1046. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the number of accused persons currently on bail throughout the country; the number of such cases of repeat offending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18318/23]
View answer1047. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the number, if any, of crimes committed in each of past years, to date, by persons on bail for previous offences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18319/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1046 and 1047 together.
In relation to the specific information sought by the Deputy, it is important to state that criminal investigations are carried out by An Garda Síochána, who then submit a report to the DPP. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is the agency responsible for the prosecution of crime in Ireland and it is for the DPP to decide whether or not someone should be prosecuted and for what crime. This decision is made on the basis of the Garda findings, viewed against the background of common and/or statute law. The Director is fully independent in the performance of her functions.
Furthermore, as the Deputy will be aware, the provision of figures in relation to convictions are a matter for the Courts Service. Management of the courts, operational and logistical matters are the responsibility of the Courts Service, which are independent in exercising their functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution. As the Deputy will be aware, I have no role in this regard.
In order to be of assistance, my Department contacted the Courts Service to see if the statistics requested by the Deputy are available. I am advised by the Courts Service that statistics are not compiled in such a way as to provide the specific information sought. However, it may be of interest to the Deputy to note that the Central Statistics Office regularly publishes both prison and probation re-offending statistics on their website www.cso.ie.
