David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sure we will have it and let us just shove it in the list - the more the merrier.

The Minister of State is then agonised about the possibility that this list might become predominant. Of course, it will. That is the whole point of it. There would be damn all point if it was not going to be predominant. This is the product of the experience of victims, female and male, of domestic violence. This is what their experience is telling us. Of course the list will be predominant. These are the issues that come before the court day after day.

Then we have the point that there might be argumentation between learned counsel in the courts. The Minister has said that everything is included already. The phrase "everything" is a pretty broad menu for legal counsel to get their teeth into so I do not see any difference nor do I see why there will be more legal argument because we have this list. In fact, there might well be less, because people will check things off the list and there will be less to argue about. What one argues about is a lacuna, about what is not there. I look forward with great interest to the Minister of State's example and if we have a revised amendment put before the House on Report Stage, we will certainly do the Minister of State the courtesy of including any further examples that he wishes to lay before the House.