I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this issue.

I am fully committed to establishing the new parole board as soon as possible. This is an important programme for Government commitment and is something I have identified as a priority action for my Department. Government has supported this commitment with funding in our first budget to make sure this priority is delivered in 2021.

As the Deputy will be aware, the new statutory parole board will considerably improve the system as it currently operates. The Parole Act 2019 puts the parole board on an independent statutory footing and sets out clear and transparent criteria for how the board will reach its decisions, which will be independent of the Minister of the day. This includes what factors will be taken into account in making those decisions, who may make submissions, which includes the victim’s right to make a formal submission to the board, as well as a number of other details.

The Act also increases the length of the sentence which must be served by life-sentenced prisoners before they are eligible to be considered for parole.

The move from the current model to the model set out in the 2019 Act is complex and a significant amount of planning is required to allow for its establishment. For example, substantial preparatory work is needed to analyse and document the new legal processes that will give effect to the provisions of the Act. The Deputy will appreciate this is essential to reduce the risk of successful judicial reviews by those who may be impacted.

There are also a number of practical steps required before it will be possible to commence the Act and establish the parole board. These include the selection of the board members, the appointment of a chief executive and of staff, and securing an appropriate premises for the new body. A project board has been established in my Department to drive forward and carry out this important work and ensure that all necessary arrangements are made as soon as possible.

Budget 2021 has provided a significantly increased funding allocation of €1.3 million to allow the project board to take forward its work and move us from planning to the implementation phase of the 2019 Act. To support this work further, additional staff have been assigned to implement this project on a priority basis, in addition to the seven existing Parole Board staff who will continue to support the existing board.

A critical path for delivery of this significant priority project is currently being developed with a view to ensuring full commencement of the Parole Act, which I believe will be achieved in 2021.

I appreciate that work is being done on this but it is quite ironic that the Minister's answer is almost identical to the answer her predecessor gave more than one year ago on the work that had to be done, that the board had to be set up, that a chief executive had to be put in place, there were technical issues to be dealt with, funding had to be put in place and so on. At the same time, people who are the victims of very serious crime are fearful that the perpetrators who caused huge damage and destroyed their lives are eligible for parole, in many cases after seven years, and they have big issues and concerns around all of that. Having passed the Act through the Houses with the issues recognised and with determination to change things, one would have expected it was a priority and the legislation would be put into place much faster. A sense of urgency around this really needs to be brought to bear. While the Minister has said 2021, it is another whole year away in the view of those people who are sitting and waiting. They are very anxious that the perpetrators of serious crime against them could apply for parole under the current system. We want to ensure that does not happen.

I thank the Deputy and I reassure him that this is an absolute priority for me. This is why I have included it in my own list of priorities as Minister for Justice and Equality. While I cannot account for what may have happened last year or what stage it was at last year, a number of new things have happened in recent months with the establishment of the project board, which is driving forward the implementation. The Deputy will accept there are a number of measures that need to be put in place for this to be enacted and that we cannot progress without those measures in place. With the significant additional funding the current budget for the parole board is in the region of €600,000 per annum. The additional funding next year of €1.3 million will bring a fully operational annual budget of almost €2 million per year, which is new also. I understand this is perhaps taking a little bit longer than people would think, but when I say 2021 I am not saying 31 December 2021. My objective is to get this done as early as we can. I have also reappointed some of the current sitting board members up to June of next year to ensure that when we cross over, and if there is any crossover, there is continuity in the service provided.

I appreciate that. I expect it would be advanced as quickly as possible. As I said earlier, it is a very serious matter for many people. We really need to get this done and completed. I hope it will be in place before the spring or summer is out and that the anxiety and worry of the many people who have been victims of serious crime will be laid at ease.

I stress again that this is a priority. I have met with some of the victims' groups. I reassured them that this is a priority and that we want to enact this as quickly as possible. I hope that the additional funding we allocated this year, and the progress of the project board in progressing this, highlights and shows that it will be done as quickly as possible.