Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 9:

In page 22, between lines 42 and 43, to insert the following:

"3B.—The Minister shall conduct an annual review of the operation of this Act and lay before the Houses of the Oireachtas a report on the number and classes of certificates issued under this Act.".

I will be brief as I do not wish to be repetitive. I note the content of amendment No. 10 in the Minister's name and propose to withdraw my amendment in its favour.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh made a good point. I ask the Minister to discuss the amendment with the Garda Commissioner because it will not be sufficient for the Commissioner to produce an annual review consisting of a half-page sheet produced in purely statistical format. The Commissioner's annual review should amount to more than a chart showing a compilation of statistics. If the Minister indicates what he believes such a review will comprise, we can reach agreement on the matter. The review should debate the issues, discuss the weaknesses of the law and where further changes are required and the areas in which the Commissioner and the Minister would like to see further changes. It should not be confined to a set of statistics.

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