Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide an update on the establishment of the independent parole board. [60925/22]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question No. 3 in the name of Deputy Martin Kenny will be taken by Deputy Pa Daly

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister for Justice provide an update on the establishment of an independent parole board?

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the question. The Parole Board was established as a statutory body under the Parole Act 2019 on 31 July 2021, replacing the former interim parole board which had been in place since 2001. Under the Act, victims now have a right to engage in the parole process.  Victim engagement is an important element of the work, and the board is currently engaging with 291 victims in relation to 105 applications for parole. I understand no victim details are available in some cases and, in others, the victims do not wish to participate in the process, which is very much their right.

When a victim chooses to register with the Parole Board, the staff of the board work with them to facilitate their submission. I understand the board’s written materials were developed in conjunction with the National Adult Literacy Agency, NALA, and are written in plain English. Where at all possible, the Parole Board facilitates a victim making a submission at a time and place that suits them and in a format that suits them. The Parole Board public information campaign to inform and engage with victims, My Voice Counts, was launched on Wednesday, 23 November 2022 on radio, print and digital platforms. The campaign will seek to inform the public, and especially victims of serious crime, about the Parole Board, its work and the rights of victims within the new parole process. Both victims and parole applicants have access to legal representation under the Act, and the Parole Board has established a legal aid scheme and formed a panel to provide this legal assistance. I am informed that 221 people serving prison sentences who are eligible to apply for parole have applied to date. The Parole Board wrote to all applicants outlining the process and informing them of their proposed review date earlier this year. Representatives of the board have also held information sessions for life-sentenced prisoners in all the relevant prisons and will do so on a rolling basis.

The board, which comprises 13 members, held its first meeting in September 2021 and has met at least monthly thereafter, with the exception of August 2022.  Decisions on 11 parole applications have been made this year to date, and the board expects to review at least ten cases per month in 2023.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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One of the objectives in the programme for Government was the establishment of the independent Parole Board, and I welcome the steps that were taken recently. I note that according to Radio Kerry the chairperson is a Kerrywoman. The process will now give a statutory right for the voice of victims of crime to be heard. This was desperately needed and is welcome. We cannot underestimate the power and strength it gives to a victim of crime to have an input into the future of someone who has changed, and sometimes destroyed, their lives. It is important for the voices of victims to be heard, respected and understood in this regard. It is my understanding that, since it recently became operational, new reports have been made available detailing the wait facing offenders due to come before the courts about their parole hearings, but the ultimate focus here is that the wait is also facing victims, and that is concerning.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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Given the acknowledged delays that are taking place, will the Minister of State consider providing extra resources in order to clear the backlog and address the meetings and speed things up? As the Minister of State said, they will meet more regularly to help clear any difficulties because the ultimate focus is that the wait facing the victim could have further impacts on a person's mental health while they await a parole hearing where they intend to open up to the board about the effect that the crime had on them. That is difficulty to quantify in reality. Will any extra action be taken by the Department in order to combat the delays? Is it about human resources, financial resources, or both? What steps can the Minister of State take?

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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These delays were unanticipated. However, having realised the delays, we have already taken pro-active steps to clear the backlog. The board is now fully operational and is hearing cases. Furthermore, it has developed a structured plan which will see a significant increase in meetings and applications considered right throughout 2023. To support this work a 23% increase of funding has been allocated to the board for 2023. I am confident that this will assist the board. We are working through the applications on hand with as little further delay as possible.