Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

He is certainly reforming. The Minister of State, Deputy Parlon, is making my point. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform cannot produce enough legislation. He cannot make it wide-reaching enough. He is so keen to legislate, as a liberal, that on Report Stage of a previous Bill this year he introduced entirely new surveillance legislation at the last minute on Report Stage. He is certainly busy.

The Bill we are discussing was published in 2004 within the time the Minister was in office. It deals with many sensible measures regarding how we treat crime scenes, etc., which are not contentious. However, as we debate Second Stage we are told the Minister will introduce a huge number of amendments. A genuine liberal concerned about the preservation of the value of all being equal before the law could not describe this Bill as liberal.

I have deep concerns about the move towards mandatory sentences regardless of the crime committed. This provision does not come from the liberal tradition that I supposedly share with the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I do not believe that the criminalisation of people, even if they are members of a gang or whatever, goes in the direction of the liberal republican tradition in which we treat people as innocent until proved guilty as opposed to criminals by association.

I am deeply concerned about extending periods of detention to 24 hours, something I regard as highly illiberal. It is difficult to debate the matter at this stage because we do not know what the Minister will propose. He is throwing it up in the air to get media coverage and notoriety. He wants to be seen proudly as the bull in the china shop, recklessly but happily willing to say the bold thing. A liberal would not legislate in that manner and the Minister of State should not snigger at legislating in such a manner.

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