Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

It was another proposal of a far-reaching nature. I fully accept people are entitled to table amendments but the person chose to discuss matters which were not in the Bill. On behalf of the Government, I propose to accept amendment No. 64 and Deputy Howlin's amendment to amendment No. 155. With regard to the repeat offenders provisions, it is my intention to table Report Stage amendments to move the threshold from one year for the previous conviction to five years and to remove the reference to burglary and robbery from the section in its entirety. It will deal with grave offences committed by somebody who already committed a grave offence——

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