Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

I thank my colleagues for quite a robust debate. Despite the assertion that amendments could not be taken because the Dáil is not sitting, there were several votes on Committee Stage, some of them quite tight. Defeating the Government in a vote is one way of sorting out amendments.

The necessity for this Bill was brought home to me by a headline in today's Evening Herald . As a result of a row in a prison, an inmate was battered to death. While in a funeral home, his body was tampered with and something written on his forehead. That indicates how low criminals can stoop, and copperfastens my certainty that the Bill is necessary. During the First World War, for example, when the fighting ended at Gallipoli and Suvla Bay each side was allowed to bury their dead. We have now come to the stage where that is not allowed to happen. How low can one stoop in the criminal world?

In bringing forward this legislation, the Minister is sending out a strong, clear and concise message that this will not be tolerated. I appreciate those who supported the Bill. I understand those who had reservations but the legislation is necessary. I hope the President will sign the Bill sooner rather than later.