Parole Board Customer Charter

At the Parole Board we are committed to delivering a high-quality service to our customers.

This charter sets out the standards of service you can expect from us.

We are committed to making sure that our services take into account the needs of all our customers.

• our office will be accessible to victims and their legal representatives who have been invited to make submissions on a parole application, or where appropriate, the revocation of a Parole Order.
• we will give a minimum of 21 days’ notice of a victim’s appointment at our Office.
• we will try to keep waiting times in our reception areas to a minimum.
• we will keep our reception and waiting areas clean and tidy, and will improve our facilities where necessary.
• where possible we will provide an interpreter, if requested.
• we will continue to review and improve access for our customers with disabilities.

We will ensure all our documents are clearly understandable.

• we will answer your calls between core office hours of 10 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday (apart from public holidays). Calls may also also be answered outside of these hours depending on the resources available.
• we will deal with your call politely and as quickly as possible.
• we will give you our name and tell you which unit we work in.
• if we cannot deal with your enquiry promptly, we will explain this and arrange to call you back or write to you as soon as possible.
• if we have to transfer your call, we will tell you who we are transferring you to and why.
• we understand that some callers can be experiencing some difficulties or stress but if callers become abusive, offensive or aggressive to staff members during a telephone call, staff may advise the caller that the call will be terminated if the unacceptable behaviour continues.

• we will acknowledge all correspondence (letters and e-mails) within five working days of receiving it.
• we will send you a full reply within 20 working days or, if this is not possible, we will send you an explanation of our current position and what we will do next.
• all our letters will give a contact name and phone number.
• all of our correspondence will be written in plain English and we will only use technical and legal terms where necessary.

If you have a meeting with the Board about your parole application or the revocation/variation of a Parole Order, we will do the following:

• we will give you notice of the date and time of your meeting.
• we will try to meet any special needs you have because of a medical condition or disability that you have told us about.
• at your meeting we will give you the opportunity to fully explain your case.
• we will provide you with legal representation.
• where possible we will provide an interpreter, if requested.
• we will assess your case fairly and independently.
• we will make a decision about your application or the revocation or variation of your Parole Order, as the case may be, as soon as possible after your meeting.
• we will write to you with our decision.

You will find more information about the parole process in our information leaflet for prisoners.

If you are a registered victim who has made submissions to us, we will do the following:

• we will acknowledge receipt of your submission within 5 working days.
• if you wish to make a submission to the Board in person we will give you notice of the date and time of your meeting.
• we will try to meet any special needs you have because of a medical condition or disability that you have told us about.
• at your meeting we will give you the opportunity to provide your submission to the Board.
• you will have access to legal representation.
• where possible we will provide an interpreter, if requested.
• we will write to you and inform you of the Parole Board’s decision.

You have a right to complain if the service you receive from us does not meet the standards set out in this charter, or if you believe that any action or decision that we have taken is not in line with our rules, practice or policy. If you want to make a complaint, please write to our Customer Liaison Officer.

For all complaints we receive, we will do the following:

• Acknowledge your complaint within five working days of receiving it.

• Investigate your complaint thoroughly.

• Send you a full reply within 20 working days or, if this is not possible, send you an explanation of our current position and what we will do next. You will find a copy of our complaints procedure on our website www.gov.ie/paroleboard or you can contact our Customer Liaison Officer by phone or e-mail (see section 10 for details).

Please note that this complaints procedure does not cover our decisions about parole applications or how we arrive at these decisions.

The Board will treat your information as confidential except where disclosure is necessary in the performance of the Board’s statutory functions.

We will make sure that our website:

• is kept updated
• is accessible to people with disabilities
• contains relevant information for our customers and other organisations we work with

We welcome your comments about our website, which you can send to us using the contact details below.