Helen McEntee

The justice minister has set out her plan for the full commencement of the Parole Act 2019 this year, which will build on “significant work” under taken throughout 2020.

This will involve securing accommodation for the new Board within the first quarter of the year, followed by the appointment of staff and the CEO. A draft legal aid scheme with accompanying legal procedures and guidance will be prepared in the second quarter.

The minister is aiming for the full complement of Board members to be ready and available for appointment by mid-June ahead of the signing of the commencement order in July.

However, Ms McEntee said it is “vital” that the significant case backlog before the current Parole Board is cleared as much as possible before the new Parole Board is established. A cross-agency working group could be established to address this.

Ms McEntee said: “I know many victims are waiting on the new Parole Board become fully operational and I am determined this will happen in 2021.

“I am fully committed to establishing the new Board as soon as possible on a statutory footing and to take account of the concerns of victims and survivors. I would be very happy to see a victim’s representative on the Board.

“The project team within my department is working actively to progress the selection of the board members, the appointment of a chief executive and of staff, the development of legal processes and a legal aid scheme, as well as securing an appropriate premises for the new body and a project board has been established in my department to oversee this important work.

“The government has supported this commitment with funding allocated for the Parole Board for 2021 of €1.3 million, which is more than double previous allocations. This substantial increase will allow for the implementation of the model of parole as envisaged under the Parole Board Act.”