David Norris (Independent)

Unfortunately, it turned out that the vast majority of people whose houses were broken into by the police on foot of warrants were completely innocent. This highlights the fact that we must be very careful. A case is under way at the moment involving a Mr. Ted Cunningham. He is using a challenge to section 29 to obtain a situation where the Court of Criminal Appeal has quashed the convictions and ordered a retrial.

The Minister has referred to conditions of urgency and that urgency should be noted at the time. He noted that Mr. Justice Morris in his comments on section 29 warrants has called for urgent consideration to be given to changes in this area rather than making an absolute recommendation that these changes be made. I well remember this distinction being made by the leader of a previous, Fianna Fáil Government, a good friend of mine.