Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

My question as to whether the Minister had full trust in the Garda Commissioner was dealt with on section 2. The provisions in section 5 make possible lengthy investigations, many of which may be carried out at the same time. I have no doubt that this will give rise to serious costs. To prevent this happening, I tabled this amendment which seeks to provide that investigations may be extended for one term or further after consultation with the competent authority, in this case the Minister. If we proceed in the way the Minister of State has outlined, we will be in danger of initiating lengthy and costly investigations which might continue indefinitely. We should not leave ourselves open to this in the light of the potential cost to the State.