Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I refer to a matter I raised on Second Stage, and which Deputy Penrose also raised in the Dáil. I noted the Minister of State's comments. Deputy Penrose told me he spoke to the Minister of State following the debate on the Bill in the Dáil and that the Minister of State said he would seek specialist legal advice on the matter. I am glad to hear he has received that advice. However, I am still not clear on what that advice was and ask the Minister of State to briefly explain it. Deputy Penrose was concerned that there would be inadvertent consequences to this section, as it would remove the long-standing rule that bars parents from taking out insurance on the lives of their underage and dependent children, or from insuring the lives of other children with whom they have no connection. There was a concern that this would be an unforeseen and inadvertent consequence of the section, because while the Bill as a whole is very welcome and is based on a 2004 Law Reform Commission, LRC, report, another reform recommended by the commission, which would have resolved this issue, has not been implemented. I look forward to hearing the legal advice the Minister of State was given, because Deputy Penrose remains concerned about this aspect of the Bill.