Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Callaghan for his remarks. The purpose of the Bill is to create a framework within which a judge can pass sentence in a given situation.

I have sympathy with what the Deputy is saying. None of us wants a situation to arise where somebody is tagged for life for something they did. We also have to be very mindful of the victims of these crimes. Quite often, they have been tagged for life by the crimes that have been perpetrated on them. I would be happy to consider a situation in which there is latitude. I feel that in all cases the judge should have discretion.