Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 2:

In page 6, subsection (1), line 30, before "the operator" to insert the following:

"excluding politically motivated offences covered by the Good Friday Agreement and which predate the enactment of the agreement,".

This is an amendment in the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. It has been tabled because there are people who over several decades were convicted in this and other jurisdictions, and there is recognition through the Good Friday Agreement and through the release of prisoners that there is a peace process in place and that restrictions should not be made against them. In the current form, the Bill would impose a restriction which would prevent some of those who were convicted during that period from taking up positions that are covered by the legislation.

I have discussed this type of proposal with various Ministers when they have sought to put restrictions on membership of other bodies or holding directorships at different levels. For example, in one case a person who had been convicted more than 30 years ago of an offence in the Six Counties and who was working as a community worker in the Dundalk area for nearly 15 years was being prevented from adopting a child because of the restrictions. There was no leeway or dispensation to take account of the changed circumstances on the island. If the Bill is allowed to pass in this way, it will be seen as a bit of vindictiveness against those who were convicted of political offences in that period. That is the spirt in which the amendment is put and I ask the Minister to take it on board.

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