Ivana Bacik (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Labour Senators support these amendments, which seem sensible to us to ensure a level of parliamentary scrutiny that is sadly lacking due to the rushed nature of this debate, as we have seen with the somewhat farcical proceedings we witnessed, as Government Senators point out flaws in this Bill. It would be amusing if it were not so serious given the powers prescribed in the legislation are draconian. We all accept the idea that we are in times demanding such draconian measures. Nonetheless, we need time for adequate parliamentary scrutiny. The proceedings tonight demonstrate just how important the amendments are. In particular, when we are considering the introduction of fixed penalty provisions, another layer of parliamentary scrutiny should be included.