Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My understanding is that the offences themselves and what a person does is very clearly defined and set out in the harassment legislation under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997. The introduction of the title of stalking does not actually change the Act itself and what a person necessarily has to do to be convicted. I do not have in front of me the number of cases or times it has been used but through engagement with An Garda Síochána, with the legal profession, and in preparing for this, it has been made clear that this legislation, which we are strengthening and adding to in this Bill, is sufficient to deal with what we are talking about here, namely stalking. It is perhaps just a different terminology.