Ms Eilis Barry:

I am not sure that having more laws does incentivise cases. The reason we are in favour of strengthening the legislation is because it does not work. It is too difficult, inaccessible and complex to understand. For the people it is targeted towards and supposed to serve, it is extraordinarily difficult for them to understand the Act. I am a barrister and I found in practice that it was incredibly difficult to understand. There is little information about it and little access to legal advice because the Legal Aid Board does not provide legal advice in this area. It is not allowed to provide legal representation in this area.