John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

It has not been the practice in Irish law to qualify life imprisonment so as to specify a minimum term of imprisonment for serious offences. Accordingly, it is a matter for the courts in the light of the particular circumstances of each case and the gravity of the offence or offences to determine what is the appropriate term of imprisonment. Irish courts have, in the past, imposed life imprisonment on serious offenders considered to be a danger to the public.