Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Work is ongoing on a judicial council Bill and one of the elements will be to provide a statutory basis for the work I have outlined that is being done by the Irish sentencing information system along these lines. We have not walked away from the Bill on which work is ongoing. I take the Deputy's point that it is an important Bill. I do not agree with his comments on my reply which shows how the Judiciary is addressing this issue in a variety of ways. The Deputy will obviously be aware that the range of criteria to be taken into account in considering a particular sentence varies considerably. He has to acknowledge that no group that has examined this issue in recent times, including those with a lay majority or judicial representatives, has suggested the route he says is an option. I refer, in particular, to the reports on penal policy and law reform. I recognise the fact that he has published a Bill in this regard and that there will be an opportunities to tease out and discuss these issues further, but no report I have received has stated we need a sentencing council. Ireland is different from the United Kingdom in that we have a constitution.

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