Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We need to engage further on this in terms of the wider picture and the discussion. In order to comply with the equality principle that is underpinned in the High Court ruling, it was made clear to me that children who are aged out and children are treated the same. There cannot be a statutory sentence for children who are aged out because that does not exist specifically for murder for those who are not aged out under the 2001 Act. By default, it falls back to the same approach. The Deputy and I have different views on this.

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