Fine Gael has unveiled an online survey to gather opinions from crime victims on the criminal justice process.
The survey is part of a campaign by Fine Gael to improve victims' rights. Last month the party called for government support to ensure a bill enshrining in law the rights of victims of crime could be passed in the Dail.
Author Alan Shatter today said it was widely believed that criminals have more rights than victims. "The people who experience crime are often overlooked by the criminal process, and can find it hard to get information about the progress of a trial, or even if their assailant is due to be released," he said.
He said the survey was particularly aiming to discover if victims need access to more information throughout the criminal process.
Whether families should be kept up to date during investigations and whether the DPP should reveal why he is not taking a prosecution are also asked in the poll.
The Victims' Rights Bill is due to be debated in the Dail later this month. One of its key provisions will be to allow victims or their families the automatic right to give a victim impact statement in court, a statement that can currently only be made at the discretion of the judge.
The party has called for the Government to support the bill, and won the support of victims' rights groups at a recent conference organised by Fine Gael.