Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)

The core issue is that an organisation that might not use its full allocation of permit time might deliberately go out of its way not to inform the authorities of its difficulty. I would not be surprised if the Garda Síochána and officials were not aware of the problem because the type of violation is hidden. If the Minister of State were to reconsider the matter at a later stage in the Seanad, I would be quite happy to withdraw the amendment. However, I know it is a frequently occurring practice. Before the next Stage the Minister of State should ask the Garda whether it has been brought to its attention that permits that have been granted might not be fully availed of. Other charity organisations that would like to have that slot and use it in its entirety should be allowed to take up such a slot should it become available.

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