Dr. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill:

I think it is as much a matter for the Oireachtas as anyone else to set sentencing parameters. The sentencing approach taken is a maximum sentence and a minimum sentence, but it is available to the Oireachtas to be more prescriptive in terms of sentencing. Clearly, Oireachtas Members are taking representations from the public all the time, so perhaps such a consultation exercise would be best focused within the Oireachtas first in order to provide tighter guidelines to the Judiciary.