Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

There have been many calls for the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to come before the House. When he does so, I hope he will not read a long script but that Members will be able to ask specific questions because there are many issues to be dealt with. For example, today's newspapers contain the story of the murder of a 24 year old Jamaican woman with two young children. The person who is supposed to have perpetrated this murder was on early release. What are the criteria for early release? Was any psychological assessment carried out on the person in question, particularly if he was in custody for serious assault?

When Ms Nora Owen was Minister for Justice, she was much maligned by the current Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Deputy O'Donoghue, and Deputy Liz O'Donnell, when a person being escorted from prison escaped.