Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 48:

In page 17, between lines 19 and 20, to insert the following:“(b) any continuing effect whether long-term or otherwise of the offence on the victim of that offence and the likely impact on the victim of a grant of parole,”.”.

This amendment and amendment No. 56 speak to the issue of protecting the rights of victims in this process.

The Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017 gives victims a statutory right to certain information. For example, a victim may request information from An Garda Síochána, the Ombudsman Commission, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Irish Prison Service, the director of a children detention school or a clinical director of a designated centre. The victim is entitled to information on, among other things, when a prisoner is expected to be released from prison, any temporary release of the prisoner or prison transfer. My expectation in proposing the amendments is that these criteria would be added to the Bill as ones the parole board would have to take into account.

I am not doing to die in a ditch on the amendments. I merely wanted to speak to the issue. It could be that what I am proposing in the amendments is already provided for in the Bill. If not, I would be grateful if they could be accepted.

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