Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not presuming for a second to second-guess any member of the Judiciary. This case went through the courts. The accused was found guilty. The sentence was handed down and the matter was then appealed. That all happened. Furthermore, I am not referring to mandatory sentences. I have raised this issue many times and I am simply highlighting again the fact that there is now a deep disquiet in large sections of society in terms of consistency and leniency of sentences handed down. This woman was not second-guessing anything either. She lived through this horror, not just as a witness to it but as the victim of it. She has now set out her experience in the clearest of terms and it is not unique.

The Judicial Council Bill 2017 does not, as it currently stands, allow for sentencing guidelines.

However, my colleague Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has moved amendments that would allow that to happen. I want a commitment from the Taoiseach that those amendments will be not just considered, but adopted. We have debated this with the Taoiseach many times and this is the only way in which we can build the kind of confidence and trust that the Judiciary deserves in respect of serious crime and the sentences handed down.

See this speech in context