Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the real world, knowledge levels are often quite low with regard to customs and excise. Many people unwittingly find themselves in a very difficult position maybe on returning from a shopping trip to New York if they have a laptop or dress too many. Citizens have contacted us who felt they were treated like criminals because they lacked information. There was very little communication with them during the process about the process. While I accept the truth of what the Minister of State has said about the logic for the searches, they might be made a little more citizen-friendly.

Nobody is arguing with the logic of the Minister of State's amendment but where engagement with human beings is necessary, it is necessary to have a customer focus rather than making individuals feel they are being treated like criminals for something they did not know about. I know of an individual from Belfast who flew from Dublin to New York for her daughter's birthday and went shopping. When she came back she was fined €600. She did not realise she was over the limit. She cried all the way to Belfast and had to raise the money for the fine and the excise and drive back to Dublin to collect her luggage. All of this can be implemented in a more customer or citizen-friendly manner.