Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service that the number of prisoners serving life sentences who were given extended temporary release in each of the past ten years are as follows:

In the period in question, a total of 43 life sentence prisoners were given extended temporary release. These prisoners had, on average, served over thirteen years in custody.

All prisoners who are serving life sentences are eligible to have their cases reviewed by the Parole Board when they have served seven years in custody. The Board, which was established in 2001, makes recommendations to the Minister in relation to the management of offenders serving long sentences. While it is open to the Parole Board to make any recommendation, the experience of recent years with both the Parole Board and the Sentence Review Group (the predecessor to the Parole Board) is that life sentenced prisoners are normally reviewed on a number of occasions over a number of years before any substantial concessions are recommended.

It is important to note that a life sentence is indeterminate and there is no guaranteed release date. However, it does not always mean life in prison. Persons released into the community continue to serve their sentences, subject to conditions, while on release. It is generally accepted, both in Ireland and in other jurisdictions, that prisoners serving life sentences who are deemed suitable for release and who have spent a considerable number of years in prison should be paroled at the most appropriate time for re-integration. Each case is dealt with on its merits and the length of time spent in custody can vary substantially.