Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

128. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to establish a fully independent parole board on a statutory basis; his further plans to implement the recommendations of the strategic review on penal policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44239/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, the Penal Policy Review Group (PPRG) was established in 2012 in line with the recommendations of the Thornton Hall Project Review Group, to conduct a wide-ranging strategic review of penal policy. The report of the PPRG titled ‘Strategic Review of Penal Policy’ dated July 2014 was published on my Department's website ().  In November 2014, the report of the Group was submitted to Government, one of the recommendations of which was that an implementation and oversight mechanism should be set up. 

The Implementation and Oversight Group was established in early 2015, to oversee implementation of the PPRG’s recommendations. Its primary function is to meet and report to the Minister, on a six monthly basis, on the implementation status of the recommendations of the PPRG. The Group has submitted four reports on progress to date.  Three reports are currently available on my Department's website and the fourth report will be published shortly.  These reports outline the timelines expected for the implementation of each recommendation made by the Penal Policy Review Group and the current implementation status of each of those recommendations.

The PPRG report identified 43 recommendations for reform of penal policy and this currently forms the blueprint for penal reform to which I am fully committed. Progress has been made in terms of some of the recommendations of the PPRG - for example, the pursuit of alternatives to custody, interagency working between the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service and the use of structured temporary release programmes such as the Community Return Programme and the Community Support Scheme.

Recommendation 31 of the Report was that a Parole Board should be established on a statutory footing with the power to make decisions on sentences.

Following the publication of the report work commenced on a General Scheme of a Bill on the establishment of a Parole Board on a statutory basis.

In April 2017, the Government agreed to focus on the Private Members Parole Bill 2016 that had been brought forward by Deputy Jim O’Callaghan and to work in partnership with Deputy O’Callaghan to achieve this objective. It was also agreed that appropriate amendments to the Bill would be brought forward in consultation with Deputy O’Callaghan. The Bill passed Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann on 24 April 2017 and work on preparing amendments for Report Stage is ongoing.

The Bill provides for establishing a Parole Board on a statutory basis to determine releases from prison of long sentence offenders. The Bill sets out the criteria to be considered in deciding on the release of prisoners, which include risk to public safety and the extent to which release will facilitate the prisoner’s reintegration into society.