Irish Penal Reform Trust

Lobbying Organisation Irish Penal Reform Trust

Date published 20 Jan, 2023

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Justice and Equality

Period 1 Sep, 2022 to 31 Dec, 2022

Specific Details Meeting with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee

Intended results Discuss IPRT penal reform priorities with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to make her aware of our key concerns.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Saoirse Brady, Executive Director, and Molly Joyce, Legal & Public Affairs Manager

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Meeting (1)

IPRT's Executive Director and Legal & Public Affairs Manager met Minister for Justice Helen McEntee on 9 November 2022 to discuss key IPRT penal reform priorities prior to her going on maternity leave at the end of November 2022. Key issues discussed included: Review of Penal Policy Options; Final Report and Recommendations of the High Level Task Force; Inspection of Places of Detention Bill 2022; Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014; Criminal Justice (Rehabilitative Periods) Bill 2018; IPRT report on rights of people detained in Central Mental Hospital; potential for extending parole to long-sentenced prisoners by way of regulation; and overcrowding and staff shortages in prisons.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Helen McEntee TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)