Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

We covered a lot of this ground yesterday on Second Stage when the Minister made the point, to which many Members subscribed, that our Constitution is a document which has stood the test of time. There are probably no additional rights within the European Convention on Human Rights which are not explicit or implicit in our Constitution. Section 5, dealing with the declaration of incompatibility, will address any perceived difficulties or contradictions which may arise. They will have to be addressed in the context of both Houses of the Oireachtas being notified and will be raised if it is considered that the matter should be dealt with in subsequent legislation. It comes back to whether we accept the primacy of the Constitution.