Minister McEntee welcomes the nomination of Mr Justice Michael White as Chairperson of the Parole Board

From Department of Justice 

Justice Michael White nominated as Chair of Parole Board by the Chief Justice Frank Clarke

new Parole Board to be up and running by July 2021 under Minister McEntee’s Justice Plan 2021

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee TD has today welcomed the nomination by the Chief Justice of High Court Judge, Mr Justice Michael White, as the inaugural Chairperson of the statutory Parole Board.

The establishment of the Board has been

identified as a priority under Minister McEntee’s Justice Plan 2021. Justice Plan 2021 outlines that the new Parole Board will be fully operational by July 2021.

Welcoming the nomination, Minister McEntee said:

"I am delighted that Mr Justice White has been nominated to this important post, I am confident he will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the new Parole Board. Mr Justice White has accepted an invitation by my department to guide the drafting of the relevant role specifications necessary for other members.

"In making these subsequent appointments, I will take stakeholder perspectives into consideration to the greatest extent possible, bearing in mind the requirement for fair procedures and the need for a range of appropriate expertise in order for the Board to formulate its decisions in a consistent, accountable and robust manner."

The department has commenced initial, preparatory work with Mr Justice White. Minister McEntee has written to the other nominating bodies as specified in the Act and has requested their responses in the coming weeks.

The Minister concluded:

"Under my Justice Plan 2021, the new Board being will be fully operational by July.

"I expect accommodation for the new Board to be secured in the spring, with the appointment of staff and the CEO to take place soon thereafter.

"My goal is for the full complement of Board members to be ready and available for appointment by end-June 2021, or shortly thereafter. The final stage of the process will be the drafting and signing of the Commencement Order, which I expect to be ready for signature by July 2021."

The Minister commended the current non-Statutory Board in respect of their ongoing work.

The Minister said:

"I also want to take this opportunity to thank the existing Parole Board members who have made and continue to make an valuable contribution to the operation of the Criminal Justice System.

"The Board have always shown great dedication in undertaking what is very challenging work. The Board have consistently made considered recommendations, taking account of a range of highly sensitive and complex matters and I thank them for their public service."

Notes

Section 10 of the Parole Act 2019 provides that the Board shall comprise between 12 and 15 members bringing together the professional experience, skills and knowledge of the criminal justice system required to make a reasonable and balanced assessment of cases.

Under the Act, the majority of members of the Parole Board will be nominated by specified nominating bodies and specified post-holders as set out in Section 10, and appointed by the Minister in accordance with the relevant legislative provisions.

Ensuring gender balance among the membership is an important element of the process and is built into the legislation in a clear and constructive manner

The government has supported this commitment with a budgetary allocation of €1.3 million for the Parole Board, 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.