Vol. 463 No. 6
60 Mr. E. Byrne asked the Minister for Justice the number of persons convicted of a crime in the District Court who have been released on bail pending appeal to the Circuit Court in the most recent year for which figures are available; the plans, if any, she has to restrict the availability of bail in such cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7087/96]
Information is not maintained in such a way as to indicate the number of persons released on bail pending appeal directly from the District Court. I can inform the Deputy that in 1993, the latest year for which figures are available, 784 persons were released from prison on bail pending appeal. The vast majority of these would have been appeals to the Circuit Court. In relation to the question of possible changes in our bail laws, I am at present consulting my colleagues in Government on comprehensive proposals to deal with the problem of offending while on bail.
