Seanad debates
Thursday, 7 October 2021
Criminal Justice (Smuggling of Persons) Bill 2021: Committee Stage
10:30 am
Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source
I will be brief because we will come to the points the Minister of State was making later regarding the adequacy of a defence approach. We will have an opportunity to go back and forth on that.
I do not agree that a defence versus an exemption is an adequate approach or, indeed, an approach of leadership when, as we have heard, seven countries have given a full exemption. We will have an opportunity to discuss that in subsequent amendments in more detail.
I note what the Minister of State has said on where cases might take place. There have been prosecutions which have been designed to chill engagement in humanitarian activity. In fact, there is a large number of examples of that we might get to discuss later.
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