As the Minister will probably know, I used to work in Bord Fáilte and Fáilte Ireland until I made the crazy decision to get into politics. I am sure all Members wish I had not. I used to be a manager. I created the national tourism database. I am very proud of that because it distributes all the information to this day for everything we do in tourism. A colleague of mine, a fellow Tipperary man who was my manager, had a saying about tourism: "We cannot forget the hole in the doughnut." The issue is that a large num…

I have the guts of 20 years' service as a national public representative, but this is the most mental Bill I have ever dealt with in here. It is crazy. There is lots of really good stuff in it but, as regards the structure of a Bill, it is beyond comprehension. It gives "miscellaneous" a new meaning. It is so diverse. It is not good practice; it is the worst kind of practice. I can nearly guarantee the Minister that there will be issues arising out of this legislation because it has not been scrutinised to the leve…

And other Departments, including the Department of Defence. It is a Who's Who. We are doing the ICC Act and the disregard of convictions for homosexuality-related offences today, and there are provisions relating to arrest warrants, prisons, the Minister's capacity to ask for Defence Forces' help, counselling notes, sex for rent, DNA, pepper spray, community service orders, face coverings - there is so much-----

Yes, but if the Minister were sitting here a few years ago, there is no doubt he would be saying what I am saying. I recall quite clearly his criticism of the previous Minister for justice, whom he now sits beside, in relation to lots of legislation. I have to be honest about this. This is no way to do legislation. For instance, the disregard is such an important topic on its own. The issues in relation to the ICC Act and the Rome Statute are critical. They have potential domino impacts on the triple lock discussio…

That is for sure.

Been there, done that.

Fair point.

I just have a few brief comments to make. The issue in relation to the pre-1922 convictions is obviously different to what the working group said, which is a pity and the previous speaker spoke about military archives as well. How do we deal with that? The working group proposed a dedicated independent body as the first contact, modelled on the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC. This is the first time we are getting this component of the legislation put into this Bill. We will not go back and talk a…

I refer to the query on statements. Will the Minister accept them if there is no record? That is most important.

I move amendment No. 9: In page 9, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: PART 2 AMENDMENT OF POLICING, SECURITY AND COMMUNITY SAFETY ACT 2024 Amendment of Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 4. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 is amended by the insertion of the following section after section 98: “Intimidation 98A. A person who attempts in any way to coerce or intimidate a member, or any other person, in connection with the performance by the member of his or her functions…

I take the Minister's word for it. I will pursue this issue. I honestly believe we need to reach another bar not only when it comes to gardaí but all uniformed personnel. I am thinking of the intimidation of uniformed personnel in this country and the manner in which they are being treated, including off duty, and the way in which their families and homes are potentially targeted. We have reached a different threshold in relation to this issue in this country and we need to deal with it. There needs to be respect. …

I move amendment No. 11: In page 9, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “PART 2 AMENDMENT OF NON-FATAL OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON ACT 1997 Amendment of Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997 4. The Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997 is amended by the insertion of the following section: “Obstructing free movement of member of House of Oireachtas 9A. A person who, by violent means or any form of intimidation and without lawful authority, obstructs or impedes the freedom of movement to…

I will save time.

I move amendment No. 17: In page 18, to delete lines 31 to 35, to delete pages 19 to 22, and in page 23, to delete lines 1 to 18 and substitute the following: “Amendment of section 19A of Criminal Evidence Act 1992 16. (1) The Criminal Evidence Act 1992 is amended by the substitution of the following section for section 19A: “Disclosure of third-party records in certain trials 19A. (1) In this section— ‘Act of 1950’ means the Nurses Act 1950; ‘Act of 1985’ means the Nurses Act 1985; ‘Act of 1995’ means the Civil Le…

We should be spending hours discussing this instead of 26 minutes. I am not going to take up all the time because I have spoken on this at length in the committee. On behalf of the Labour Party, I am putting forward an amendment drafted by Lorcan Staines SC for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. It proposes a compromise to deal with this highly sensitive issue. Our justice committee had harrowing, very upsetting and detailed evidence given to us directly. Many of us in that portfolio will also have heard about it perso…

I wish to briefly acknowledge the passing this morning of Liz Howard, a former president of the Camogie Association. She was a formidable - and I mean formidable - and passionate Tipperary woman. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis. I want to raise an issue in relation to elderly care. A man I have known all my life, who has dementia and other issues, has ended up in a midlands hospital. He has been there for months because I cannot find him a nursing home. This is going on around the country. We need a plan for peo…

It probably does not happen often, but this is a matter that we, collectively, as a Legislature and a body politic, are glad to see happening. I welcome Valerie's family. They are very welcome. I commend Valerie's brother, David, to whom I listened on multiple media appearances over recent years and during pre-legislative scrutiny in committee. His testimony was compelling. His steadfast determination and resilience are completely admirable. I say "Well done" for the fight. He has ensured that legislation that is a…

We have to acknowledge when legislation is necessary and we all agree that this legislation is necessary, and the Minister has brought it forward. We will tease it out. In the main, I support it. I will obviously be supporting it, but we will tease out a few things. The Minister and his Department are to be commended on bringing it forward in a pretty quick manner. I hope we will bring it through the Houses relatively quickly. I have a few issues. The Minister went through section 12D, which relates to the issue of…

I move amendment No. 5: In page 8, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “(ab) contravenes section 43C(1);”. The Bill is drafted on the basis that what is not permitted remains prohibited. Checking a person's image against a database of images seems to remain prohibited. It seems the only way to emphasise this is to make it an offence. The Bill already criminalises falsifying, concealing or destroying information obtained by biometric analysis. It does not, however, state that a contravention of the Bil…

I will not press the amendment. I accept the Minister's response. This is something that may need to be narrowed down and looked at. Something that is inadvertent would, by and large, be acceptable, but something that is deliberate would not. This may be a matter that we can return to at a later stage. On the basis of the Minister’s reply, I will not press the amendment.