Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 8, to delete line 12 and substitute the following:

"(i) by the substitution of "48 hours" for "7 days",".

These amendments deal with the issue of when a sex offender has to report to the Garda station, whether divisional headquarters, local Garda station or whatever. A little more clarity needs to be brought to this and the Minister accepts this. In the modern world we live in we can communicate with a person in seconds and minutes. We need to be able to ensure that victims understand that a person who is released and who is reporting is doing so as efficiently and effectively as possible. This is why we feel 48 hours is more than enough time for people to be able to communicate with the Garda station, and I hope it will be the local Garda station. They can make an appointment to go in person to meet somebody. This should be able to be done as quickly as possible and 48 hours is more than sufficient time to do so. This concept is repeated throughout the amendments. I hope the Minister recognises that modern communications and technology should mean this can happen very fast. Even 48 hours is giving too much time to do it. We have to put it somewhere but as close as possible to immediate is what we should be trying to achieve.