Lorraine Clifford Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his overview of this very important Bill which Fianna Fáil will support. Increased sentences for these crimes are very important, but the Government has failed to establish a sentencing commission, meaning that when this legislation is in place, there will continue to be huge inconsistencies in sentencing. In April 2018 a judge, in sentencing a man who had been convicted for the repeated rape of his granddaughter, described the lack of rape sentencing guidelines as somewhat bizarre. She specifically pointed to the fact that while there had been a lot on general principles in sentencing, there had been very little in the way of guidelines to guide judges in making their decisions. In 2013 Fianna Fáil published a Bill which called for the establishment of a judicial sentencing commission to prepare sentencing guidelines for the Judiciary. It formed part of our manifesto for the 2016 general election. Similar Bills followed from other parties, but, despite paying lip service to the need for consistency in sentencing, the Government has failed repeatedly to prioritise legislation of this nature. As judges, victim groups and Opposition parties have been calling for such legislation for a long time, I would like the Government to address the issue. While I welcome the Bill, it is only a first step. Perhaps the Minister of State might bring that message back to the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan.