Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

I accept the Minister's good faith but if a proposal does not appear within the four corners of the Act then there is no guarantee it will be implemented. All the Opposition can do is try to make the legislation robust. We cannot depend on promised guidelines or on the whim of gardaí — no matter how senior the garda might be — in determining how precisely he limits and is proportionate in his actions. This should be copperfastened in legislation.

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