Michael Finucane (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 6:

In page 8, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following subsection:

"(4) Notwithstanding section 10(4) of the Petty Sessions (Ireland) Act 1851, proceedings for an offence under this Act may be instituted within 12 months from the date on which the offence was committed.".

The investigation of offences under this legislation could well be lengthy and, therefore, often involve international borders. The timeframe mentioned is six months. However, we could at least raise that to a year, since if one has a timeframe of a year for such investigations, there is pressure to complete the investigation within it. As we know, at present, if someone has to move within our criminal legislation, it lapses within six months. Specifying the period as 12 months would strengthen the legislation on the basis of the international dimension.