Vol. 557 No. 4
403 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on whether the mandatory ten year sentence for drug offences has been a successful deterrent; and his plans to complement the initiative with other such sanctions. [22393/02]
The information available to me suggests that the provisions contained in the Criminal Justice Act, 1999, have resulted in a significant number of drug traffickers pleading guilty to serious drug trafficking offences and in the imposition of substantial sentences for such offences, including the imposition of the minimum mandatory sentence of at least ten years in a number of cases. While the study into convictions for the drug trafficking offence created by section 4, commissioned by my predecessor, has not yet been completed, the preliminary indications are that the main factors taken into account by the courts in cases where a sentence of less than ten years has been imposed are where the accused pleads guilty to the offence; co-operates with the prosecuting authorities; and materially assists the Garda Síochána with its investigations. I am satisfied that the provisions have had a beneficial effect and I will consider the results of the study referred to when they become available.
