Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 52, between lines 21 and 22, to insert the following:"(2) Any conviction covered by the terms of the Good Friday Agreement 1998 is excluded for consideration under this section.".

I am deputising for Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn who cannot make the meeting. I believe this issue which relates to political prisoners who come under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement was discussed on Second Stage. The Bill allows for DNA samples to be taken from former offenders within the past ten years, which should mean that any political prisoner under the Good Friday Agreement will be excluded. However, the Bill states sentences must be expired. As there are a number of political prisoners under the Good Friday Agreement who are out on licence, technically their sentences have not expired, even though they have been released under the Agreement. This is an issue which needs to be addressed in the Bill.