Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

We brought in new mandatory sentencing for repeat offenders and we restated the rules on the right to silence which, as was mentioned earlier on the other side of the House, was upheld in court just the other day. We introduced post-release monitoring orders and protection of persons orders to allow the Garda to supervise convicted persons and protect witnesses. We brought in laws to allow the use of reasonable force to take fingerprints. Again, these are extremely draconian laws in any democracy. We brought in laws to allow for indefinite retention of fingerprints. We have not done nothing.

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