Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 5, subsection (2), line 12, after "life" to insert ", pursuant to which, that person shall serve a period of not less than 15 years".

In moving this amendment I am conscious the Minister of State mentioned an indictment of imprisonment for life for very serious offences.

Nowadays, the criminal justice system, in terms of life imprisonment, has lost its definition. I am seeking that people be locked away for life but if this provision is to have any teeth, it is important to underpin it with a timeframe. The timeframe mentioned in the amendment is 15 years. The legislation would be strengthened if we underpinned that timeframe. Currently, what is considered a life sentence is discretionary. Anyone who analyses our current criminal justice system will discover that a life sentence is a misnomer in many cases in terms of the time subsequently served for an offence. It is for that reason I am seeking to include " , pursuant to which, that person shall serve a period of not less than 15 years".