Training programmes for judges to ensure that they remain in touch with social norms when it comes to sentencing, and simple changes in court procedures would dramatically improve the effectiveness of the criminal justice system, Fine Gael justice spokesman Jim O'Keeffe said yesterday.
Outlining changes that would be introduced if Fine Gael wins power next year, he said judges would be required to undertake training programmes and to give explanations in open court if clear sentencing guidelines were not observed.
At a session on crime and justice at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting in Sligo, Mr O'Keeffe outlined measures which his party would implement in government:
Simple guidelines on consecutive and concurrent sentencing so that multiple offences are treated as individually serious crimes;
Submissions by the DPP at sentencing. It was ridiculous that the DPP had the right to appeal sentences on the grounds of leniency but could give no view on the appropriate sentence at the conclusion of the trial when the judge is deciding on the sentence;
A comprehensive register of sentences to ensure continuity and consistency of sentences, something that has been voted down by the Government;
An increase in the number of criminal judges. There were unacceptable delays in criminal trials and a massive backlog in the criminal courts.
"While some problems will require a dedicated continuing investment of time and resources, many of the problems that exist in our criminal justice system could be solved tomorrow," Mr O'Keeffe said.
"What is required is the simple political will to implement the straightforward measures that I have outlined.
"The time has come now for a government that is willing to do what needs to be done, a government of change, that is willing to make simple changes where it can and radical changes where it must."
The ESB's chief executive, Pádraig McManus, told the party gathering that Ireland's growing population and economy would mean that electricity consumption would double in the next 15 years.
Mr McManus said Ireland was currently consuming 5,500 megawatts of electricity annually, though this demand was rising by 5 per cent a year and was predicted to stand at 10,000 megawatts by 2020.
By then, Ireland would have to supply 3,000 megawatts from wind and other renewable sources, although 7,000 megawatts would have to come from gas and "clean-coal" power plants.
The technology to operate "clean-coal" plants, which remove carbon dioxide from emissions, is still not developed commercially, although billion-dollar investments are being made in the US.
A €350 million investment is currently being carried out on the ESB's Moneypoint plant to remove nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, which are blamed for "acid rain", though the improvements will not cut Moneypoint's CO2 emissions.
"There are no easy answers. The big issues are security of supply, the environment and price. We have to drive as hard as we can to maximise renewable sources."
Fine Gael has pledged to provide 30 per cent of the State's energy needs from renewable sources by 2025, a slightly less ambitious target than was set by Fianna Fáil at its recent parliamentary party meeting in Westport.
Promising an "aggressive alternative energy policy" involving co-operation between all government departments, Fergus O'Dowd TD said the proposals would cost €488 million annually to 2010.
"The recent massive hikes in electricity and gas illustrate just how dependent the State is on fossil fuels and, after almost a decade, how little this Government has done in alternative energy," he said.
Referring to Fine Gael's Energy for the Future document, Mr O'Dowd said it would "for the first time in Irish history, put in place an integrated energy plan that places renewable energy at the centre of government decision-making".
Vehicle registration taxes would be reformed to penalise the less-efficient models, such as SUVs and higher-performance cars, while smaller, hybrid models would attract a smaller charge.
Excise duties on all bio-fuels would be removed permanently to encourage car-owners to make the switch, and to encourage farmers to grow crops such as rapeseed and elephant grass, Mr O'Dowd said. All buses and other State vehicles would be required "to convert, where practical and feasible".
Every litre of petrol would be required to be mixed with a 5 per cent bio-ethanol mix, while diesel would be mixed with a 2 per cent bio-diesel mix, again to encourage an increase in the market for bio-fuels.
Every community affected by wind farms or other renewable energy projects would receive a "community dividend" to compensate them for living close to projects that benefited the entire State, he said.