Seanad debates

Tuesday, 11 June 2013

Criminal Justice Bill 2013: Committee and Remaining Stages

 

4:35 pm

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will come back to that. It is a very interesting suggestion and I will certainly follow it up. I am conscious that people can, with great simplicity, acquire mobile telephones. Some of our regular criminals have managed to do this and then dispose of them in the context of certain types of telephones. I am happy to hear any ideas which might render it easier to identify who is using mobile telephones in circumstances - I emphasise this - of serious criminality. I do not think we should be generally listening to people's mobile calls nor should we randomly monitor telephones across the State in any shape or form. We have legislation which makes it appropriate in very limited circumstances for intelligence to be acquired through the use of telephones and it is important that we be able to identify the owners of telephones in those circumstances.

I am not suggesting that we should ever put in place in this State the type of surveillance system which, as is now apparent, exists in the United States.

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