Dáil debates

Wednesday, 1 December 2021

Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee Stage (Resumed)

 

10:17 pm

Photo of Martin KennyMartin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On the Minister of State's assertion that the old legislation failed or did not work, it was not a failure of conviction; it was a failure of detection. I expect very few people were ever actually detected, arrested or charged with smuggling persons into the country in the first place. It is very unlikely in such circumstances that any legislation is going to work unless we are able to detect and capture these people, or have a hope of doing that. The Minister of State put forward the scenario that the reason we have this situation is because the old legislation did not work and there was this loophole that people used. They never had the opportunity to use a loophole because they were never captured in the first place. Therefore, the Minister of State is placing that argument on a ground of sand.

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