Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

Amendment No. 17 makes explicit the requirement of reasonableness in the steps to be taken by a householder who has a non-national staying in the house under section 9(4) of the Bill. While the courts could as a matter of course read that requirement into the section, it is no harm to spell it out plainly. Section 9(4) of the Bill forms part of the mechanism for the control of non-nationals in the State. It has been the law since 1946 and complements the remaining provisions of section 9 regarding registration.