John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)

I thank Senators for their contributions today and during the debate on Second Stage. I acknowledge the support from all sides for this legislation. I do not view the amendments as opposition but as attempts to tease out the contents of the Bill and to be satisfied that it is effective and robust. I view the amendments in that spirit.

The Bill pushes out the boundaries but we face a very difficult situation. We must achieve a balance between tackling serious crime and protecting people's rights. I listened to Senators' arguments and I read the Bill carefully to be satisfied that it respected those rights and also afforded the Garda real and tangible facilities to effect its operations. I believe we have struck that balance and that the legislation is proportionate. I hope we will see the fruits of our efforts when people are brought to court for very serious crimes, especially where witnesses are being intimidated. This type of evidence may be the deciding factor in many of the cases which do not reach the courts at present for all sorts of reasons.

I thank everyone for their full support of the legislation. The amendments challenge us to ensure that what we are doing is seen to be robust. I assure Senator Regan that we did check the point with the Attorney General.