Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I accept the Senator's bona fides but this was updated again in 2023. Again, it has gone through and is being used by the courts. It is self-evident that if we were to take that interpretation, it would mean it would have been okay up until now and indeed under the existing law we have today - the 2002 Act - for somebody to come in with an age card showing that they were under age and that would be a defence. I hear the Senator. I know his input is in good faith. In time to come, maybe a Minister for Health will have to come in with amending legislation. However, it has certainly stood the test of the past 22 years. It was amended last year and it has not been interpreted in the way that the Senator is concerned about. If I or somebody else has to come back in here, so be it. It has stood the test of a few decades and we hope it will stand the test of a few more.