Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

Senator Brian Hayes has generously acknowledged that we recently completed a major consolidation and restatement exercise. The Bill before the House amends just one section of the Defence Act 1954. It should not require a significant amount of imagination, ability or insight to read the substantial existing restatement in conjunction with a single additional Act. We will be conscious of this issue if we have to legislate further in this area. We are aware of the need to have law in restated form. We will pursue the consolidation exercise further, but this is not the appropriate time to do so, especially as further matters have to be addressed. Senator Hayes is familiar with the body of equality legislation, for example. Helping to bring the Equality Act 2004 through the Dáil was my last achievement as Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I found it difficult to come to terms with it — it is an absolute nightmare. The body of legislation in that area badly needs to be restated. Matters of that nature will have to take priority.