Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 March 2022
114. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Justice when she intends to introduce legislation to increase the penalty of conspiracy to murder to life in prison; the reason that she is of the view that this legislation is necessary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16090/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, on my request the Government approved the General Scheme of a Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill in September 2020. The General Scheme, which is available on my Department’s website, contains eleven separate parts and provides for a number of required changes to criminal legislation.
Part 2, Heads 7 and 8 of the General Scheme provide for an increase in the penalty for conspiring to commit murder and soliciting to commit murder from a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
I consider a maximum sentence of life imprisonment to be appropriate given the seriousness of the offences in question. The Deputy will appreciate that, ultimately, the Judiciary is best placed to decide on the appropriate sentence in any given case. The impact of all violent crime spreads far wider than the victims alone and it is vital that the powers available to the Judiciary are such as to provide an appropriate deterrent for conspiring to commit the most heinous crime of taking a person's life.
Work is continuing on the drafting of this Bill based on the General Scheme and further legal advices. I hope to be in a position to publish these provisions in the second quarter of this year.
