Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

It has been an interesting experience for the past ten days or so to be back again as Fine Gael spokesperson on justice. I am pleased we have completed the Criminal Procedure Bill today as it contains some desirable measures. However, I regret that specific reforms necessary in statute to protect the victims of crime have been rejected. I regret that we still have a parole system which results in people who have committed barbaric and heinous crimes being the beneficiaries of early release, without the victims having a say of any description of which the parole board takes any notice.

The Minister's praise for his ministerial colleague was a piece of political back-slapping, but I take it less than seriously because a great deal more could have been done and a great deal more reform would have been implemented a lot quicker if the victims rights Bill - a 2007 rather than 2008 Bill - had been adopted by Government. If it had, we would be three years into providing reforms, some of which the Minister has rejected today. I would not describe my experience as Fine Gael justice spokesperson over the past ten days as indicating any constructive engagement by Government with the Opposition. Deputy Rabbitte has laboured hard as justice spokesperson in his brief on behalf of the Labour Party and my colleague, Deputy Charles Flanagan, did the same for Fine Gael. We have gone through two pieces of important legislation in this House without a single amendment from any Opposition Deputy being completed in the past week. That casts serious doubts on the validity of the manner in which we do our business in the House and on the capacity of the Government, which has been in office for far too long. It is far too arrogant to take seriously any proposals that come from this side of the House.

I acknowledge, as the Minister has done, that Deputies who will finish their work in the House this evening will be very busy over the recess and that there will be committees of the House sitting during the month of July in which many of us will be engaged. Nevertheless, in the midst of the economic crisis we are suffering, there is no excuse of any description for closing down the House until the end of September. We should have sat two weeks longer into July and should be back by the first week in September.

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