Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)

It is wrong to leave the legislation as loose as this; it seems draconian on one hand and on the other it can be interpreted that no offence has occurred. The Minister of State said that he will leave interpretation of the legislation to the good sense of the Judiciary and the Director of Public Prosecutions, and this worries me because, depending on one's background, circumstances in life and experiences growing up, one person's interpretation of something can differ entirely from that of another.

The Minister of State has suggested that a passport is now the normal form of identification and proof of age when gaining entry to clubs but that should not be the case as it is too valuable a document to be used in such a way. If people think they must use a passport to gain entry to clubs they may feel vulnerable and exposed, but that is an argument for another day.

Loose legislation built on the conviction that good sense will prevail may mean that good sense will not prevail. I am concerned there may be somebody who takes an entirely different view from the Minister of State or from the intention of the legislation. The intention of the amendment is to tighten up the legislation. I accept the law is always about interpretation but it should not be so loose as to leave it open to any interpretation one happens to arrive at on the day.

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