Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 20:

In page 15, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following:

“(4A) A member of a risk management team shall, with the express written agreement of the team, be nominated as a contact point for the victim in the case for which the offender has served the sentence which he or she is being released from. This team member will provide relevant information to the victim, including:

(a) notification of the offenders release, as soon as is practicable after the release has occurred;

(b) copy of the updated photograph of the offender, as provided for in section 10;

(c) such other information as the member considers necessary to avoid, mitigate or manage the risk posed by the offender.”

At the moment the victim has to actively look to find out when the person is being released. The victim is not informed automatically. That needs to be re-examined and a way around it found because many victims do not know when the person is coming out. They can get early release and it is a shock to the victim. They do not know that they can seek that information already. Possibly more information needs given. It would be better than putting the onus on the victim. There needs to be a system to get around that.