COMPENSATION claims by victims of crime perpetrated by prisoners on temporary release have been settled in secrecy by the Department of Justice, it was claimed yesterday in the Dail.

The Progressive Democrats' spokeswoman on justice, Ms Liz O'Donnell, said some members of the public had taken legal action against the Department over assaults by prisoners on temporary release.

She said claims had been settled in secrecy by the Department of Justice, with confidentiality clauses attached.

Ms O'Donnell said the public should also be told how many crimes were being committed by prisoners on early or temporary release. There was an "appalling vista" in terms of the number - up to 50 a day - who were being released to make room for others.

The Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, said the problem of overcrowding in prisons was being tackled by the Government's £135 million prisons building.

Moving the second stage of the Bail Bill, the Minister described it as one of the most important anti-crime measures introduced since the foundation of the State".

The Bill would not only give effect to the amendment to the Constitution that was passed last November, but would strengthen the bail laws generally, she said.

"In line with the constitutional amendment, the legislation will allow a court to refuse bail to a person charged with a serious of fence where it is reasonably considered necessary to prevent the commission of a serious offence by that person," she said.

It also contained provisions on the amounts of cash or equivalent securities which must be lodged in advance as part of bail, and it attached conditions allowing forfeiture of bail where these were breached.

The Bill would also strengthen the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act of 1984 relating to the imposition of consecutive sentences for offences committed by a person on bail.

Mrs Owen said "serious offences" as defined by the Bill meant offences which carried terms of imprisonment of five years or more. But not all offences carrying such a penalty had been included. The range of offences covered by the Bill included common law offences such as murder, manslaughter, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, kidnapping, false imprisonment and rape.

A number of statutory offences were also included, such as various offences against the person, sexual offences offences concerning explosives and firearms, robbery and burglary Road Traffic Act offences hijackings of vehicles, forge offences against the State, drugs and public order offences.

However, even where an offence met the criteria set out in the Bill, the courts could decide that it was a relatively minor one.

The Minister said that after taking into account various criteria in deciding on bail, the courts could then have regard to an accused's addiction to drugs. In doing this, however, she was not trying to criminalise drug addiction.