145. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the status of the request for tender for an electronic monitoring managed service for an Electronic Monitoring Pilot Programme; if it has been awarded; the body or company it has been awarded to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52034/26]

146. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the criteria under which the applicants for the RFT for electronic monitoring managed service were scrutinised given the sensitive nature of the programme being introduced, such as public interest concerns, operational track record of the applicant and standards of governance of the applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52035/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 and 146 together.

My Department is leading a cross-agency project to introduce electronic monitoring for specific categories of individuals, as committed to in the Programme for Government, and in line with existing legal provisions.

Existing legislation, including the Bail Act 1997, as amended, and the Criminal Justice Act 2006, as amended, provides for electronic monitoring in certain circumstances.

A steering group is in place, made up of sectoral representatives, who are driving the delivery of this project to operationalise electronic monitoring. This includes consideration of technology, data protection, procurement, implementation, and operating model design.

The electronic monitoring pilot will focus on individuals on temporary release nationally and those admitted to bail in a pilot area. It is proposed to utilise up to 50 electronic tags during this phase. This is expected to provide capacity to monitor between 90 and 150 people in a year, but exact numbers monitored will depend on a range of factors including individuals’ lengths of time on bail or on temporary release, and individuals’ personal circumstances, including ongoing suitability and compliance with conditions.

The pilot approach will allow for processes and procedures to be tested before a wider scale national rollout, while also supporting the agencies involved to build capability and knowledge of the electronic monitoring system. Insights from the pilot will inform any future national rollout and procurement.

Under Budget 2026 funding of €2.1m was allocated for the project to allow for staffing, procurement, and other set up costs. The electronic monitoring project is progressing and is expected to be operational in 2026.

A request for tender closed on 14 April. I can confirm that a number of tenders were received by the deadline. As this is a live competition, I am precluded from making any further comment on the process. All updates regarding this competition will be made through the national tendering portal (eTenders), which is standard practice.