The Minister for Justice Helen McEntee (pictured) has announced the expansion of the Parole Board from 13 to 15 members.

She has also appointed Dr Lisa Cuthbert and Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan (small picture) to the board.

The body, established under the Parole Act 2019 in 2021, is an independent statutory body responsible for considering the eligibility for parole of people serving life sentences, once they have served at least 12 years of their sentence.

The appointment of the two new board members was made after a Public Appointments Service selection process.

Dr Cuthbert has been chief executive of Prisoner Aid through Community Effort (PACE) since 1999, and has developed an extensive programme of pre- and post-release services for life-sentence and long-term prisoners.

Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan retired as a High Court judge in 2017. She has also served on the Legal Aid Board.

The minister has also re-appointed the representatives of an Garda Síochána, the Bar Council, the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland and the Law Society, each of whom has been re-nominated by their representative body.

The Law Society’s nominee is Dr Shane McCarthy, a member of the Society’s Criminal Law Committee.

Minister McEntee had recently re-appointed Ann Reade and Kieran Kenny for further four-year terms. The board is chaired by Mr Justice Michael White.

“The two additional members will help support the board, and ensure it has the capacity to undertake its important work in a more efficient and effective manner,” said Minister McEntee.