Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

I move amendment No. 15:

In page 58, line 45, after "oath" to insert "or affirmation".

This amendment requires the legislation to provide specifically for an oath or an affirmation. When we discussed this issue on Committee Stage, the Minister argued that because the Interpretation Act 2005 would allow for an affirmation, the amendment proposed by the Labour Party was unnecessary. However, we believe it is preferable to include the term "affirmation" because one should not have to rely on the Interpretation Act to clarify legislation. Our law should be self-explanatory and if an oath can include an affirmation, why do we not say so in the Bill? This issue has been raised on a number of occasions by Labour Party Members in the context of other Bills. What is the problem with accepting these two words?

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