Bail Bill timeframe
Deputy McGrath pressed for action on bail, tagging and free legal aid for serious offenders, saying communities were living in fear. The Tánaiste said the bail Bill would be published before the end of the year and would strengthen powers, including electronic tagging; he repeated that timeline when asked again.
The programme for Government is explicit regarding urban, rural and gangland crime. When will the Government deal with the revolving door, tagging and free legal aid under the bail laws? We could save our community in Tipperary. I appreciate that the Tánaiste will meet it shortly. It raised this issue last year. People are living in fear in their homes. The bail and free legal aid systems are being abused, day in and day out. These matters could be addressed via legislation without further reports, investigations or deputations. On behalf of all country people, especially in Tipperary where rural people are frightened, I ask the Tánaiste to deal with these matters and take on the legal eagles.
Comment on this
The bail Bill will be published before the end of this year. It will allow for electronic tagging and give the Garda more powers to take action and request the courts to do this themselves. There will be a number of other important changes regarding bail. For example, courts will have to give reasons for their decisions, etc. It is a detailed Bill that strengthens bail legislation. It will impact on the serial and serious offenders whom the Deputy mentioned.