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View/Open - CORA - University College Cork

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this chapter. The Minister of State at the Department of Justice with responsibilityfor<br />

children in supportingthe Minister for Justice put the purpose of the Bill thus:<br />

“the kernel of this user-friendlyBill is that it ensures that everyother penaltywill be<br />

contemplatedbefore prison is considered” Ms Hannafin, Minister of State, vol. 167,<br />

col. 498, Children Bill 1999, 20 th June, 2001, Second Stage).<br />

Andlater in the Senate, a government senator in a sweepingstatement put the question beyond<br />

doubt when she stated:<br />

“the thrust of this Bill is that children shouldnot be imprisoneduntil that is the only<br />

option left after all other communitybased measures have been triedandthen onlyif<br />

theyfail”, Senator Ormond, vol. 167, col. 516, Children Bill 1999, 20 th June, 2001,<br />

Senate Debate.<br />

In the Lower House DeputyMaloneyof the Opposition, while welcomingthe Bill and the new<br />

range of communitysanctions, positioned the penaltyof incarceration as the ultimate<br />

default penaltywhen he said:<br />

“I also recognise that anysystemdealingwith young offenders must retain the ultimate<br />

sanction of incarceration, but the Bill clearlyis based on the premise that this option<br />

should onlybe brought into playafter a range of communitybasedmeasures have<br />

been exhausted” DeputyMaloneyDail Debate, col. 134 Children Bill 1999, Second<br />

Stage, 5 th April, 2000 vol. 517.<br />

Support for the interpretation bySenator OrmondandDeputyMaloneymaybe foundin the<br />

Bill passed byboth houses of the Oireachtas and signedinto lawbythe President. Section<br />

116 provides:<br />

Section 116. –<br />

(1) Where a court-<br />

(a) has considered a probation officer’s report or any other report<br />

made pursuant to this Part,<br />

(b) has heard the evidence of any person whose attendance it may<br />

have requested, including any person who made such a report,<br />

and<br />

(c) has given the child’s parent or guardian (or, if the child is<br />

married, his or her spouse), if present in court for the<br />

proceedings, or, if not so present, an adult relative of the child<br />

or other adult accompanying the child, an opportunity to give<br />

evidence, it may make an order imposing on the child a<br />

community sanction, if it considers that the imposition of such<br />

204

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