Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh na finnéithe. Is eispéireas eile é a bheith ag an gcoiste seo i gcomparáid leis an gCoiste um Chuntais Phoiblí.

It is my first time to attend the committee and a very different experience from that at the Committee of Public Accounts in listening, learning and debating. I apologise that I had to leave, not least because I like to remain for the duration of committee meetings.

I commend Senator Ruane for her Bill. What she stated to Deputy Pringle struck me, namely, that while the issue affects everyone, the limits of the current law have a disproportionate impact on marginalised, poorer and working class communities.

Ms Ní Chinnéide spoke about the scale of the convictions and how no research has been carried out in Ireland. The Courts Service is considering compiling figures for the numbers of people who have been convicted. Will she elaborate a little on that aspect? There was a slight divergence between the IPRT and Senator Ruane on the recommended age. The IPRT suggested the age should be higher.

Mr. Walsh is very welcome and I have great respect for his organisation. He stated it "would" reduce or help to prevent recidivism if spent convictions were acted on. Are there figures or research in that regard, or what are the best areas to examine?

Ultimately, I disagree slightly with Senator Ruane about people not being on board. In the context of the Parole Bill 2016, there has been an attitude that prison is for punishment. While victims must be paramount and we have all had related experiences with our families at some stage, part of the problem is that victims do not receive proper support all along. It is difficult, therefore, to zone in on offenders.