Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2021
1149. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Justice the number of recommendations made to her by the Parole Board in 2021; the number in which she accepted the recommendations of the Board; the number in which they were amended or rejected; the reason in the cases in which they were amended or rejected for doing so; the number still awaiting decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31474/21]
View answerThe Interim Parole Board reviews the cases of prisoners sentenced to determinate sentences of eight years or more as well as prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment.
I wish to advise the Deputy that 68 recommendations have been received from the Parole Board by my Department from 1 January 2021 to 27th May 2021. Of those 68 recommendations, 59 have been decided upon and the prisoners have been informed of the Minister’s decision. The remaining 9 recommendations (5 of these were received on 7 May 2021 and 4 were received on 26 May 2021) are currently being processed.
When making recommendations to the Minister for Justice, the Board advises the Minister of the prisoner's progress in their rehabilitation to date, the degree to which the prisoner has engaged with the various therapeutic and other services and how best to proceed with the future administration of the prisoner’s sentence.
The final decision regarding the recommendations of the Parole Board lies with the Minister for Justice. This function is currently delegated to me. I may accept these recommendations in their entirety, in part or reject them. In doing so, a range of factors are taken into consideration before a final determination is made on the recommendations received. These include:
- The nature and gravity of the offence to which the sentence of imprisonment being served relates;
- The sentence of imprisonment and the period of the sentence served by the prisoner;
- The conduct of the person in custody;
- The recommendations of the various services involved in the management of the prisoner's sentence and the Parole Board, and
- Recommendations and reports made by An Garda Síochána.
It is not possible to provide the Deputy with the number of cases where recommendations were accepted, rejected or amended as to do so would require a review of each individual file which would involve a disproportionate amount of staff time, in particular at a time when resources are being focused on finalising recommendations received from the Interim Parole Board in advance of the establishment of the Parole Board on a statutory basis.
Furthermore, to provide the Deputy with the reason(s) for any amendment or rejection of the Parole Board recommendations could lead to the identification of the prisoner concerned and/or the victim and their families. Each prisoner receives the Minister’s decision in writing following their review by the Board and are advised of the factors (as outlined above) taken into consideration in making that decision.
