Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I read in this morning's newspaper that the constitutionality of a section of the Charities Bill has been called into question. The section provides that the sale of mass cards shall be unlawful unless an association with a recognised body — in this case the Catholic Church — can be shown. What happens from now on is a matter for the President and the Council of State but I wish to make it quite clear as someone who proposed an amendment to prevent the sale of bogus mass cards and who was very happy to see the Government come forward with a very specific prescriptive amendment to remedy the mischief currently operating, that it is very much in the spirit of the guarantees in Article 44 of the Constitution on the free protection and practice of religion that we would act to protect people in the community from being defrauded.

People who want to give a mass card to somebody at a time of bereavement or illness are entitled to expect that the offering they make is given to a priest who will say a Mass. That would be of interest to people of faith and people who do not have faith because it is a very sensitive issue. It is a gesture of generosity and it should not be abused by fraudsters. That is the mischief the legislation seeks to remedy. I hope we will be able to deal with that mischief in legislation.