Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

This Bill was initiated in the Seanad in December 2003 and completed all Stages in June 2004. Report and Final Stages in the Dáil were completed on 30 November 2005. Two amendments were made by the Dáil in its course of considering the Bill.

Amendment No. 1 resulted in a new section 2 being added to the Bill. This was a Labour Party amendment which I accepted on Report Stage in the Dáil. It entailed an amendment to section 11 of the Transfer of Sentenced Persons Act 1995 to ensure the annual report to the Houses of the Oireachtas, prepared under section 11 of the 1995 Act, also includes details of applications for arrests under the Bill. I was happy to accept this amendment and I commend it to the Seanad.