Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)

I spoke to the Minster about this last week. This question was scheduled for last Thursday; however, I was unable to attend and it has been rescheduled. Sinn Féin has long said that the Offences Against the State Act should be repealed and there is a growing call for its repeal. Various organisations describe it as draconian. The Minister referred to section 8 of the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Act 2009 and Part 5 of the Offences Against the State Act. We have yet to see anyone prosecuted under that provision. The Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act of 1998 contains a number of sections that have not been used while others have been used on rare occasions. There is a great difference between the number of people arrested under the legislation and the number of people who end up in court and are convicted.

See this speech in context