Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senators who spoke. I do not seek to oppose these amendments. However, there are some issues that were raised on Second Stage and these still remain. I am advised that it is not normal practice to amend the Long and Short Titles of statutes. However, I understand that no legal or constitutional reason has so far been identified as to why these amendments would not be possible. Indeed, this was done as part of the statute law revision project, which was aimed at simplifying the often long and confusing titles of some of the older legislation on the Statute Book.Indeed, this was done as part of the statute law revision project, which was aimed at simplifying the often long and confusing titles of some of the older legislation on the Statute Book. Given the nature of these amendments, I have been advised that it would be necessary to engage with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, OPC, on these very technical drafting matters. I do not anticipate any particular difficulty with the amendments to references to the current Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998, but I note that a comprehensive trawl of the Statute Book would be required to ensure every reference is found and amended. Amending the Long Title of this Private Members’ Bill also does not present any issues provided the final version fully reflects the purpose of the legislation.