The initiative by the Director of Public Prosecutions to explore changes to the 35-year rule not to give reasons for decisions has been warmly welcomed by the main political parties.
Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan yesterday gave a positive reaction to plans announced by DPP James Hamilton to publish a discussion document.
Mr Lenihan's spokesman said: "It is a very complex subject. The Minister welcomes the fact that the DPP has initiated a debate."
Similarly, Labour Party justice spokesman Pat Rabbitte also hailed it as a welcome move. He said the lack of information given to victims about a decision not to prosecute can add to the distress, notwithstanding the fact that decision may have been taken on very compelling legal grounds.
However, Mr Rabbitte said changing the policy required a lot of consideration. "We should not underestimate the difficulties involved in departing from established practice. In particular, there can be no question of the DPP's reasons being seen in the public mind as having the status of a finding of 'real' guilt made in a court of law. Nor, I believe, is there any reality to the suggestion that the director's reasons could be given to the victim or the victim's family alone, without expecting that they would immediately enter the public domain.
"That said, I am sure that some changes can be made which would provide additional information and clarity, without undermining legal principles," he said.
Fine Gael's spokesman on children Alan Shatter said he would be making a formal submission to the discussion process in line with Fine Gael's private members' Victims' Rights Bill.
"I very much welcome the DPP's discussion paper, which makes an important contribution to the debate on victims' rights."
Mr Shatter said victims were frequently neglected by the legal system and there was a common belief that criminals enjoyed more rights than their victims.
