Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 1 March 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality

Prisons, Penal Policy and Sentencing (Resumed): Victims' Rights Alliance

9:00 am

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Colette Kelleher who has helped us, once again, to get the business of the committee under way. She is very welcome on the morning of what will prove to be an historic day, of which we are all very conscious, and once again I thank her. Apologies have been received from Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile.

I welcome Ms Maria McDonald of the Victims' Rights Alliance to discuss the issue of penal reform. On behalf of the committee, I thank Ms McDonald for her attendance this morning. I also acknowledge the presence of her colleague, Ms Fiona Murphy. I wish to remind everyone that the joint committee agreed, as part of its work programme for 2017, to look at the area of prisons and penal policy. We contracted the title of this element of our work programme to penal reform. This is the second external engagement and the third focused address on this issue by the committee. Ms McDonald will be invited to make an opening statement to the committee and this will be followed by a question and answer session with committee members.

Before I invite Ms McDonald to make her address, I must caution her in relation to privilege in the context of these and all Oireachtas committee proceedings. I draw attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, she is protected by absolute privilege in respect of her evidence to this committee. However, if she is directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and continues to so do, she is entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of her evidence. She is directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and she is asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, she should not criticise nor make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

Without any further ado, I invite Ms McDonald to present her address.

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