Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The reason for publishing heads of Bills once the Government has given detailed consideration to the applicable principles is to afford Members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, and also Members of the House who wish to attend a meeting of that committee, time to consider them and to give their own input also into the substantive provisions that we ultimately adopt, bearing in mind not only the Keane report and the Law Reform Commission's recommendations, but the comparative approaches taken in other jurisdictions. Deputy Donnelly will have every opportunity to engage in that way and I hope that a positive contribution is made by that committee. There is no monopoly of wisdom in this area but there is an urgent need for change.

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