Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

The Deputy spoke of hospital passes. It would be a large hospital pass for me to concede the correctness or incorrectness of any case which the Minister may be advised to bring to court. I assume Deputy O'Keeffe would agree it would be unfortunate if I were to do so.

I am not side-stepping the issue. The Garda Síochána has certain functions under the Road Traffic Act. This is not the first occasion on which I have had to stress the importance of complete and total consultation between the Garda Síochána and the sponsoring Department of legislation so that situations do not arise, whereby following the event, people ask why this or that was included in the Act. I am not suggesting there was no consultation in this case.

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