Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

I will not delimit the immunities. It is the powers and duties that are to be the subject of Garda Commissioner stipulation in subsection (5). I want reserve members to have all the immunities that a member of An Garda Síochána has. I do not want them to be sued personally in circumstances where, for example, a person standing in the same line at a demonstration cannot be sued personally. That would be unfair. It would put them in an inferior position if their immunity was different from that of ordinary members of the force.

See this speech in context