Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

My amendment No. 2 distinguishes between children aged 12 or younger and children aged 13 or older. As the Minister of State knows, even in legal terms, a differentiation is made between children aged zero to 18 years. While we apply the term "minors" to that group, there are different rules for children. The Minister of State will be more familiar than I with the various terms. The term "doli incapax", which means incapable of crime, was used to provide for children between the ages of seven and 14 in that they could not understand the consequences of their actions. That led to different interpretations of the law for children involved in court cases. Section 52 of the Children Act 2001 provides that no child under the age of 12 is capable of committing an offence. The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform later changed those rules under the Criminal Justice Act 2006.