Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

The exact point I was making was that it does not have that implication. The proposed new section 2A(6), which states that nothing in section 2A, including subsection (1), "is to be construed as prejudicing the admission in proceedings under section 2 of other evidence of belief, or of evidence of opinion, whether tendered by any member of the Garda Síochána or other person", was included specifically to address the point made by Deputy O'Keeffe. If we had not included section 2A(6), there might be an inference that the only way to prove the opinion of the force in this regard would be to bring a senior member of the Garda before the court.

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