Tom Parlon (Laois-Offaly, Progressive Democrats)

An amendment similar to that being proposed has already been discussed in the other House, on both Committee and Report Stages, and has been rejected by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, for the reason that the Minister was not amenable to making a change of this nature to a public order measure, on the grounds that it would weaken the enforcement of the Bill. Such a change remains unacceptable.