Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. Maximum sentences are fine but what we need minimum sentences also. All I can talk about is Galway city. What is frustrating people in Galway city and county is the large percentage of cases where someone found guilty serves no time at all. Even though they have been found guilty, they are walking out the door and that is outraging people. It is outraging families across the city and across the county. Maximum sentences do not really matter if they are not being handed down and that rarely seems to happen. If we had minimum sentences, the people who carry out these atrocious crimes could not walk out of court without serving time.