Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
580. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of individuals who have availed of the bail supervision scheme in each of the years 2019 to 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73749/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Bail Supervision Scheme (BSS) offers courts an alternative option to detaining a young person who comes before them. It provides for the possibility of granting bail with intensive supervision. By reducing the need for remand places, this also provides an opportunity to focus on developing successful community resources designed to prevent young people being detained in a youth justice facility and reduce the risk of them going further down the path of criminality. The BSS currently serves the Children Courts in Dublin, Limerick and Cork. Table 1 below details the number of young people involved in the scheme between 2019 and 2025.
In 2019, an evaluation of the BSS was published by the then Department of Children and Youth Affairs (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/evaluation-of-the-bail-supervision-scheme-for-children-pilot-scheme/). The pilot scheme had been based out of the Dublin Children Court and as a result of the positive impact of BSS, as identified in this evaluation, the scheme was expanded to Limerick and Cork Children Courts.
Following consultations with the Probation Service and other stakeholders, oversight of the Bail Supervision Scheme is set to transfer to the Probation Service on 1 January 2026. Recognising that the BSS plays a valuable role in diverting young people away from criminality and ultimately detention, I have asked my officials to explore how the scheme might be rolled out nationally.
