THE Secretary of State for Justice has praised Marie McCourt's "tireless work" to the House of Commons, as he announced the intention to create Helen's Law.

Last week, it was announced that after years of campaigning, Marie McCourt's four year struggle to ensure any murderer is denied parole if they refuse to reveal where their victim's remains are has been successful.

Marie's daughter Helen was murdered more than 31 years ago.

George and Dragon pub landlord Ian Simms was jailed for the crime in 1989 on DNA evidence, but has never admitted what he did or where Helen’s body is, but despite this he is eligible for parole.

Now that ‘Helen’s law’ is set to be passed, it will place a legal duty on the Parole Board to reflect the failure to disclose the site of a victim’s remains when considering a prisoner’s suitability for release.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Secretary of State for Justice David Gauke praised Marie's "tireless work" on creating this law in her daughter's memory.

He said: "The Government intends to bring in legislation when parliamentary time allows to create a Helen's Law.

"We propose to change the life sentence release test in the case of any offender sentenced for murder and the remains of the victim have not been found.

"The parole board most take account of any failure or refusal to disclose the location of these remains when assessing whether such an offender is safe to release.

"Whilst the parole board already considers such a refusal as part of their risk assessment procedures, our proposal will set this out in statute.

"I pay tribute to Marie McCourt for her tireless work on the Helen's Law campaign and the honourable member for St Helens North (Conor McGinn) for similar such work."