Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)

This section epitomises the point made earlier regarding patchwork quilts. Subsection (4), which amends the Civil Legal Aid Act, states:

Section 26 of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 is amended, in subsection (3)(b), by the substitution of "an offence under section 6 (inserted by section 2 of the Criminal Law (Sexual 35 Offences)(Amendment) Act 2007) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993, or of an offence under the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2006" for "unlawful carnal knowledge under section 1 or 2 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1935".

I wonder how a law student could make any sense of that, never mind poor unfortunate legislators. To be blunt, it is legislative gobbledygook of a high order. We should be aiming to draft legislation which people can understand, if not at a first reading, then at least with a second glance. Anybody coming fresh to that subsection could spend the night wondering what in the name of God it is about.

See this speech in context