Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

As I stated, I have some sympathy with the views expressed in this respect. I assure the House that the Attorney General and his office have spent a bit of time on this provision. They would not normally use it, but the Attorney General is adamant that, in the context of this ground-breaking legislation, there needs to be a contingency plan. As to examining the formulation, I can revert to the Attorney General and his office to determine whether something better can be done, although I am not sure anything can be done.

This provision and that of the British-Irish Agreement Act are not absolutely ad idem with each other and so I accept Senator Bacik's point. The provision is phrased in a way that is completely new. As the Senator is aware, it will operate in the courts every day from the date of its commencement. We will know very quickly if difficulties arise in respect of it. We are appreciative of that possibility.