Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This amendment does not in any way impact upon the substance of the provision contained in section 29 of the Bill which was inserted as a result of an amendment proposed by Senator Ruane. The Minister for Justice and Equality of the day will still be required to undertake a review of legislative provisions which impose minimum sentences, whether those sentences are presumptive minimum sentences or mandatory minimum sentences. The Minister will also still be required, within 12 months of the commencement of that review, to make a report to each of the Houses of the Oireachtas. The primary purpose of the amendment is to provide a context for the review, to make clear that its purpose relates both to the appropriateness of minimum sentences in general and the extent to which the provisions in this area are applied in practice.