We now move to Questions on Policy or Legislation. I call the leader of the Sinn Féin Party, Deputy McDonald.

Figures were released this morning to our justice spokesperson, Deputy Carthy, that make for very shocking reading. They reveal that suspects in 40,348 crimes carried out in 2024 were out on bail. This is an issue we have raised repeatedly with the Government, and I am raising it again this morning. The 2024 figure represented an increase of 5,000 on the figure for 2022. Astonishingly, the combined figure for the past three years for suspects implicated in crime while out on bail amounted to 114,655. This situation cannot continue. The public will not tolerate a situation whereby people out on bail are at liberty to reoffend again and again. The bail laws need to be examined with urgency to ensure they are being properly applied.

When will the Government finally acknowledge and get on top of this issue?

I have no difficulty engaging with the Deputy on this issue. There had been reforms of the bail laws. People are very intolerant of people who are awaiting trial, etc., and who then go out and commit crimes again. I do not know whether the Deputy is proposing wholesale internment of everybody who is a suspect because that is another side of the story. The point is, the figures are huge but that is a wide range of cases.

The figures are shocking.

We have to focus on those who have a history of crime and who are again brought before the system.

The bail laws have been reformed. They will be reformed further. The Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, is looking at this, but there are limits to what can be done, as I am sure the Deputy would appreciate.

If you take the politics out of it, we have no issue. We want to stamp down on crime. We are very intolerant of people committing crime while out on bail but you cannot have a system where everybody who is a suspect gets locked up.

The figures do not tell that story.

I hope that is not what we are talking about.