Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to come back on amendment No. 20. The Minister said it is important that the information is shared. I acknowledge the Bill provides a legal mechanism for the Garda to share information for the first time, something which was not available up to now, and expose members of the force that provided very relevant and valid information.

My problem is that the Minister believes it is important that the information is shared. I agree with her. The difficulty is that in the circumstances I have spoken about, if an individual is given three days' notice in respect of information, he or she will disappear. The immediate threat will be gone. The information would not be shared with the individual. What happens if, down the road, the individual then gets back into a relationship and on that occasion is very conscious of the need to make sure that what has happened goes under the radar with the Garda? The Garda would then not be aware of what had happened. My understanding of the Bill, as drafted, is that where an individual hightails it, disappears and goes underground, the Garda cannot disclose that information to a partner. As a result, a person will not be given what I believe to be important information.

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