Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

If he chose to say them and it was in order, then it is in order for me to reply at this point. I will conclude by saying that everything that is being proposed here today leaves open the possibility that people will be protected against crimes based on hateful motivation. I will put it to the Senators again - we are here in this House as politicians - that if someone is attacked because they are a child of a political family, and that has a chilling effect on them ever getting involved in politics, that is serious and is deserving of consideration in the same way as if the hatred is based on the ethnicity or other protected characteristics of a person. It in no way denigrates anybody or any minority that you simply make room to take into account that hatred can be based on characteristics other than those the Government is proposing. I ask the Minister to take that on board and to take it seriously.