Mary Henry (Independent)

The introduction of this Bill was an excellent initiative and a sensible decision by the Minister. There is little point in people from abroad serving sentences here or Irish people serving sentences abroad. The primary purpose of prison must be to rehabilitate prisoners in order that they can take their place in society again. It is considered much better if prisoners serve their sentences close to their abode and family in the hope that they will find some degree of stability when they leave prison, although many prison inmates come from most unstable backgrounds.

I have been asked by prisoners in other countries whether it would be possible to ensure that sentences imposed in other European jurisdictions would be more consistent. I have no expertise in this area but I ask the Minster, who will have his own views on the issue, to keep this request in mind when he meets his ministerial counterparts at European Union level. Sentencing policies vary considerably among judges, as the Minister has noted in the past, and between countries. I compliment the Minister on introducing this Bill, which will be extremely useful.