Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The reason for the amendment is that the definition of the victim in the Bill is relatively narrow. There is a concern that unless somebody can prove that an offence was committed against them, they might not qualify within the definition of victim. That would be very unfair to a person who was on O'Connell Street last night and beaten over the head. Even if nobody was ever apprehended, that person is as much a victim as somebody who is able to identify the offender. I am conscious that it should not be opened up to such an extent that nearly everyone is covered by the definition of victim, but we need an amendment to ensure it is not simply limited to the conviction of an individual of an offence.