Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 7, line 25, after “body” to insert “(including a member of a local authority)”.

This is an amendment to paragraph (j) of the definition of "Irish official" in section 2 of the Bill. This amendment is to provide explicitly that members of a local authority are included in that paragraph. Concerns were raised on Committee Stage about the wording here. I said on the occasion that I felt that public officials were covered by way of a more general description in the Bill. I was satisfied that there was sufficient reference to local authority members in the previous wording. I accept what Deputies Ó Laoghaire and O'Callaghan had to say. I do not see any harm - in fact, I see merit - in clearly stating that this section applies to that category of officials, as suggested on the occasion by Deputies O'Callaghan and Ó Laoghaire. I hope that this amendment will assuage the Deputies' concerns as evidenced in the earlier part of the debate.

See this speech in context