Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I thank the Minister and Minister of State and their staff for the debate on this Bill. Certain issues still require further debate and can be debated when the Bill goes through the Dáil. I support the legislation in principle but have concerns about its provisions. Other legislation relating to the keeping of telephone records by companies, which could be asked to provide this information to the Garda Síochána, was dealt with by the House last year. Many of these provisions are being included in different pieces of legislation and are coming into force by stealth. As Senator Cummins noted, this Bill is very technical. I am not criticising the Government because I realise these provisions relate to Ireland's obligations as an EU member.

In respect of the intercepting of data, legislation should possibly be consolidated and safeguards introduced to protect people's rights. We should examine the legislation in its entirety and then ensure that our citizens are protected. I withdrew an amendment of mine when the Minister of State explained that it was not possible to place this kind of requirement on another member state. However, this legislation, in conjunction with the legislation in other countries, gives other states powers in respect of our citizens which are quite over-reaching. We need certain powers to deal with crime but we also need to protect our citizens' rights with regard to data protection and other matters.

The Minister should examine the issue in its entirety, consult with the public and interested parties, such as communications companies, and produce legislation that consolidates existing legislation into a single Bill, although I concede that this might not be possible. The issue should be addressed in a comprehensive way and protections with which our society agrees should be introduced.

I understand that people in the US are more sensitive about these issues than people in this country. We must be wary because changes brought about by legislation are being introduced by stealth and we may lose sight of the fact that some of our rights are gradually being eroded.