Vol. 443 No. 8
13 Mr. Clohessy asked the Minister for Justice the plans, if any, she has to allow for the publication of all sentences and fines remitted by her under the Criminal Justice Act, 1951; and if she intends to instruct her officials to make inquiries and consult with the judge who imposed the sentence before the sentence is remitted.
It has never been the practice to publish details of individual cases involving the remission or mitigation of fines and sentences of imprisonment under section 23 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1951, and delegated authority of Government dated 30 March 1951, and there is no statutory requirement to do so. I am sure Deputies will agree that there are valid reasons for this and that the individuals who make petitions are entitled to a certain degree of privacy concerning their personal affairs. All of their cases have been before the courts and penalties have been applied and I do not think that it would be appropriate to publish the names and addresses of those who for personal reasons — very often, inability to pay — have decided to avail of the petitions procedure.
