Dáil debates

Thursday, 30 July 2020

Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

7:35 pm

Photo of Pa DalyPa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am also speaking in favour of the amendment. The Covid-19 crisis has been used as an excuse to do many good things such as the efficiencies that will be brought to the Coroners Acts. However, bringing in legislation such as the Bill about which we are speaking at the last minute to facilitate vulture funds cannot be right.

I also think there is a serious problem with closing the courts in Sligo and Tralee and consolidating them in Limerick. It is not desirable to take members of An Garda Síochána out of the counties they are in and take them to a centralised location.

The provision in this Bill to allow sentencing up to life imprisonment to take place in a prison, where an accused is not beside his or her legal team, is deeply flawed. I am supporting the amendment to prevent that becoming a permanent provision because it is totally unfair that someone could receive a life sentence outside a courtroom overseen by a judge.

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