Criminal Law, Civil Law and Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-24
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Maria McCormack (SF), Labour Panel

I move amendment No. 11:
In page 15, to delete lines 1 to 8.
These amendments relate to the civil power. What is important here is that in April 2026 the Minister said that the Defence Forces should be deployed to assist An Garda Síochána removing the fuel protest blockades. There was uproar in the country about this. This was a serious escalation at a time when the Government should have been focused on de-escalation. This is where there are serious concerns in the community. A few weeks later, out of the blue, we get these amendments to expand the deployment of the Defence Forces in aid to civil power being brought forward by the Minister. I want to get an explanation around this so that we have clear understanding. I was on the picket line at these protests. These were peaceful protests. People have the right to protest, but to send in the Army at that time was not appropriate. I hope that the reason behind bringing in these powers is not to do with that. Sinn Féin has been clear that any expansion of Defence Forces powers must be grounded in transparency, democratic oversight and absolute respect for civil liberties. The provisions on aid to civil power raise concerns regarding the normalising of military involvement in policing, which should remain exceptional and limited. I will be interested to hear what the Minister has to say on that.
Amendment No. 11 proposes to delete the provision regarding aid to civil power from this Bill. If they are needed, let the Minister come back with a stand-alone Bill to the House when the Government is in a position to explain what is behind these proposals. I want to get my head around this.
Amendment No. 13 requires an annual report - that is all - to review these sanctions in the event that amendment No. 11 is not accepted. However, I am hopeful that the Minister will accept both of these amendments.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-24