James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge there is a backlog of cases at the moment. The transition phase from the interim parole board processes will take at least two years to work through.

The board increased its number of meetings this year with a view to increasing the number of applications being considered. It will do so even further in 2023. However, the number of cases reviewed still remains lower than anticipated. There are a number of causes for this, primarily victim engagement. Engagement with victims has proven to be a lengthier process than first anticipated but it is extremely important to get this right. This is the most significant challenge and contributed to the delays in the original timelines. Other reasons for delay include the length of time taken to receive reports as well as board capacity. The Parole Board wrote to all applicants outlining the process and informing them of the proposed review date earlier this year. For those who had anticipated being reviewed before now an update has issued informing them of the delay and the reason for it. However, as the Deputy rightly points out, with the backlog it is the victims we are most centrally concerned about.

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