Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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792. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will provide an update on the progress of the Life Sentences Bill 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63553/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The proposed Life Sentences Bill 2024 will give sentencing judges a formal role in informing decisions on the release of life-sentenced prisoners on parole.

When sentencing, judges will make a recommendation on what minimum term should be served in prison before parole is granted, and the Parole Board will be required to take that recommendation into account in making their decisions. It will be non-binding, and the Parole Board will continue to be responsible for deciding when a person will be released. A prisoner will not be automatically released after the judicially recommended minimum has been served.

The recommendation will not affect eligibility for parole under the Parole Act 2019. The Parole Board will continue to consider the person for parole after 12 years have been served. This reflects the importance of the Parole Board process in driving prisoner engagement in rehabilitation, even when the possibility of immediate release is remote.

The General Scheme of the Life Sentences Bill was approved by Government in July 2024. The Bill is included on the Priority List for drafting in the Government Legislative Programme. However, it is not possible to predict when the Bill will be published at this point, given the number of priority Bills currently being drafted.