Nobody is saying I will not be allowed to speak. The Acting Chairperson did not have to have this length of a conversation. I only asked for some leeway regarding the fact that I prepared my notes in a certain order. That is it.

Jesus.

Yes, I wish to speak on amendments Nos. 7 to 9, inclusive. In speaking to amendment No. 8, the Bill as drafted does not include a provision that would allow a person who is interacting with a member of An Garda Síochána to ask that his or her body camera be turned on. This is a significant oversight. If we leave the Bill as is, it will mean gardaí will have absolute discretion as to when and where their cameras are turned on or off. As I have previously stated, this means body cams will not function as impartial re…

I move amendment No. 8: In page 10, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “(d) is requested to do so by an individual with whom they are engaged in the course of their duties,”.

I move amendment No. 12: In page 11, between lines 23 and 24, to insert the following: “Additional provisions regarding operation of cameras affixed to, or part of, an aerial vehicle 11. Reasonable measures shall be taken to ensure that the use of any camera affixed to or part of an aerial vehicle, manned or unmanned, shall be overt and clearly identifiable as being Garda operated.”.

I move amendment No. 14: In page 11, after line 35, to insert the following: “(e) turns off, or causes not to be operated, a recording device to knowingly and purposefully conceal the use or misuse of force,”.

I will speak to all of the amendments in this grouping. Amendment No. 14 would make it an offence for a garda to turn off their body camera or cause it not to be operating in the first instance to knowingly and purposefully conceal the use or misuse of force. The Minister advised during Committee Stage discussions that she could not accept this amendment because placing the circumstances where body cameras should or should not be operating within legislation would be too restrictive. The Minister advised that, inst…

I thank the Minister. In the codes of practice there is a process whereby somebody will have to be answerable as to when a camera is turned on or off and there will be disciplinary procedures. When I consider this I must weigh up turning on or off a camera merely being a disciplinary procedure against an individual who may be impacted and their case, their life or their trial. I understand something may come upon somebody very quickly and there may be a very legitimate reason as to why a camera might not be on. Sen…

Are there definitions of what the information entails?

May I make one point?

It will determine whether I press the amendment to a vote. I might actually save the Chair time.

My point relates to the reference to harmful effect in section 62 of Garda Síochána Act 2005. I was glancing through the legislation as the Minister was speaking. It states it is an offence to disclose information if the person knows its disclosure is likely to have a harmful effect. If I do not push these amendments, could we consider section 62 between now and when we come back to this and ascertain what actually constitutes a harmful effect and whether there is a loophole if somebody says he or she did not know …

That would fall under lawful sharing.

Now.

It is never an easy task as an Independent in opposition to get legislation all the way through the Houses. Even though it is not yet fully realised with regard to its implementation, this Bill is extremely significant in showing what can be done in the Seanad when working with Departments and finding common ground on things we need to change. I thank the Minister for that. When this issue was first raised, he and his officials began to engage quickly and carried out their own research, which thankfully backed up w…

I thank the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use for its work over the past six months or so, although I kept a close eye on it and gave out every now and again, as you do, just to make sure the agenda was moving along. I spent the weekend dipping in and out of the hearings. At some stages, I was trying to figure out what was going on and what was being presented. Then, on Monday morning, I went back over the transcripts again to try to understand the votes. The biggest concern for me at the time was they did not mentio…

Is it not amendments Nos. 6 to 27?

Yes.

I ask the Acting Chairperson to explain this to me so that I do not miss anything else. The details coming up for the amendments on the screen are different from the Seanad amendments the Acting Chairperson is mentioning.

It mentions amendments Nos. 6 to 27.