Vol. 475 No. 6
54 Mr. M. McDowell asked the Minister for Justice the progress, if any, she has made in updating the law relating to criminal insanity to deal with the difficulties experienced with the verdict of guilty but insane; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5480/97]
I announced on 5 June last that I had obtained Government approval for the drafting of a Bill to amend the law relating to criminal insanity.
The new Bill will contain comprehensive provisions dealing with fitness to plead at a criminal trial; it will contain a definition of criminal insanity and provide for a new verdict of "not guilty by reason of insanity" to replace the present "guilty but insane" verdict; it will introduce a new plea of "guilty but with diminished responsibility" in cases of murder, and it will establish a new review body whose function it will be to review the cases of persons detained after verdicts of not guilty by reason of insantiy or findings of unfitness to plead.
The Bill is complex and there has been an examination of legislation in other jurisdictions. I have given this new Bill priority in my legislative programme. Work on the Bill is at an advanced stage and I expect to be in a position to publish the Bill later this year.
