Good morning, Minister. I want to thank you for coming and addressing the committee.
My question has to do with bail, with remand custody. There has been an increase in the number of individuals in remand custody over the years. The numbers have gone up and I can attest to that in my practice as a criminal defence lawyer over the years. Indeed, the numbers presented to the committee in the beginning by the Department of Justice officials showed an increase in the percentage of individuals who are in custody.
What are the department's plans to address that, and has any money been set aside to address the increasing numbers of people who are in remand custody?