Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I speak in support of amendment No. 10 , which was tabled by the Member on my left, and amendment No. 11, tabled by the Member on my right. I agree with Deputy Howlin that the provisions in the Bill are overly proscriptive, are probably unnecessary and are draconian. It is already implied that these things actually exist, and I do not see why it has to be explicitly stated in primary legislation. It is completely unnecessary.

On Deputy Cronin's point, this came up at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence hearings in the context of the Director of Military Prosecutions and military judge. I welcome that this clause has been withdrawn, but an appeal is ongoing. Deputy Cronin's suggestion of stating it explicitly in primary legislation would mean that we can get ahead of those types of appeals and provide clarity to prevent any kind of misunderstanding in the future. I will be supporting both amendments.

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