Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 50:

In page 16, to delete lines 1 and 2 and substitute the following:

""authorised person" means--

(a) a person referred to in section 62(4)(a) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005,

(b) the Minister for Defence,

(c) the Minister for Finance, and

(d) a person the disclosure to whom is—

(i) authorised by the Commissioner of the Garda Síochána, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces or a Revenue Commissioner, or

(ii) otherwise authorised by law;".

Authorised persons are currently defined as persons referred to in section 62(4)(a) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005. This amendment expands the list of authorised persons to whom information may be disclosed in order to include the Ministers for Defence and Finance, persons authorised by the Garda Commissioner, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces and the Revenue Commissioners.

As indicated on Committee Stage, the amendment also allows disclosure where it is otherwise authorised by law to ensure that the disclosure can also be made to the relevant law enforcement, defence and Revenue personnel or their equivalents in other jurisdictions. This may arise in respect of surveillance conducted in the context of international agreements entered into by the agencies in question.

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