Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 5, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following:

“Amendment of section 12 of Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act 2001

2.Section 12 of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act, 2001 is amended by the substitution of the following for subsection (3):

“(3) A person guilty of burglary is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not less than 3 years but not exceeding 14 years except where the court is of the opinion that there are particular circumstances which—

(a) relate to any of the offences or to the offender, and

(b) would make it unjust to do so in all the circumstances.”.”.

I will speak on the three amendments together. The purpose of amendment No 1 is to provide for a tougher sentencing regime. When we engage with members of the Garda Síochána, particularly at public meetings around the country, they tell us that the same small number of people are engaged in the vast number of burglaries. We want the message to go out that there will be stiffer sentences. We do not think, from what we have been told, that the number of people involved is large so there will not be a revolving-door problem with the prisons. Its purpose is to try to build in tougher sentencing.