Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I do not know how many seconds I have, but the general point I was trying to make was about plain English. The Bill as drafted reads, "Proceedings against a person under the age of 17 charged with an offence under this Act shall not be taken except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions." This measure is being translated into "Notwithstanding section 52(4) of the Children Act 2001, where a child under 17" and so on. It is better than the original provision, but we should strive for plain English so that, where people read legislation, it is understandable.

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