Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 22:

In page 30, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “Amendments to Firearms Acts 1925 to 2006

50. The Firearms Acts 1925 to 2006 are amended—

(a) by the repeal of subsections (12), (13) and (14) of section 12A of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990 (as inserted by section 65 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006 and subsequently amended by section 40(c) of the Criminal Justice Act 2007), and

(b) by the repeal of section 27C of the Firearms Act 1964 (as inserted by section 61 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006).”

The amendment on the Judges' Rules is a much more progressive one and I appreciate what the Minister said in that regard.

This amendment is a reaction to the Ellis v.Minister for Justice and Equality case. I may even be out of date in terms of what is being said here. Essentially, these proposals have been taken from the Criminal Procedure and Related Matters Bill 2021, which I drafted a couple of years ago. The three amendments address the concerns expressed by the Supreme Court in the Ellis case and have to go together. They do not stand alone. The Minister is well aware of the issues canvassed in them, so I will propose them and hope they will be accepted.