Vol. 481 No. 7
65 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the changes, if any, which he will make to criminal procedure in order to put in place the proposed system of plea bargaining; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17075/97]
A form of plea bargaining exists in our criminal justice system at present. The purpose of plea bargaining is to have in place a system which encourages persons who are guilty to plead accordingly and to do so at as early a stage of the proceedings as possible. In this context I propose to underpin the operation of plea bargaining by including a provision in the forthcoming criminal justice Bill which will place on a statutory basis the taking into account by a court, when sentencing, of the making of guilty pleas including the time at which the plea was made and the circumstances surrounding it.
