Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I have some concerns about this section but they are not the same as those of the last speaker. There are issues that revolve around the points raised by the Minister and the Members on this side of the House. I do not accept the notion that previous history should not become an issue. That is not particularly relevant to this amendment but it could be relevant in an attempt to determine whether a person was a member of a criminal gang.

I was here in 1984 when the then Criminal Justice Bill was introduced and the House sat until 7 a.m. I was concerned that some of the measures introduced then would be used against innocent people in an arbitrary fashion to secure a conviction in a way that we would regret. There were many submissions to support that view. It did not happen but the Bill was watered down to such an extent that it became ineffective and failed to deal with the problems at the time.

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