Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 29, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following:

“Valletta Convention

3. (1) Nothing in this Act shall violate the definitions, principles and requirements outlined in the Valletta Convention of which Ireland is signatory.

(2) The Minister shall be required to ensure the Valletta Convention is adhered to when implementing the Act.”.

This is one of the most important amendments in my name. This relates to the Valletta Convention. Ireland is a signatory to the Valletta Convention, yet there is very little mention of the Valletta Convention in this Bill. It is not about mentioning a word and doing a tick box exercise. However, it should both permeate and be central to this important legislation. We heard about the importance of this Bill at its pre-legislative scrutiny. I mentioned this to a number of people, including Dr. Mark Clinton, who worked in the National Museum, and other renowned experts in this area. They told me that if we could do only one thing we should have the principles of the Valletta Convention embedded at the heart of this legislation. It will save writing reams and books about the Valletta Convention. It is there for everyone to see. One can Google it and see it for oneself. Ireland is a signatory and is fully supportive of it. It is very significant. That is the reason I am pushing Valletta. The Bill contains comprehensive definitions and we spoke about that. An Taisce was in the Oireachtas recently and spoke about the importance and significance of the Valletta Convention. It said it should be incorporated and implemented into the proposed legislation, so that the enhanced legal protection and potential penalties could be seriously offset and largely avoid the notification of relevant parties. It went on to say that the benefits would be enormous. Valletta clearly sets out the scope and obligations and one imagines it would definitely form part of the central piece of legislation.

We should have the Valletta Convention in this Bill. I will insist upon it. The Minister of State might not agree with it, and there will be other days to discuss this, but I want to hear his initial response.