Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister and thank her for being here to take the Report and Final Stages of this Bill. No amendments have been submitted.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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When is it proposed to take the next Stage?

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Now.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for allowing the Bill to get this far. It is critical that it proceeds through the Dáil. The Minister is keen to get it before the Committee on Justice. Now that it has passed all Stages in the Seanad, I hope it will move quickly through the Lower House.

I express my solidarity with the Minister because she and her family have experienced some nastiness on the part of a fringe minority. This is part of what this Bill is intended to address. We want to support peaceful protest in this country - it is a vital part of our democracy - but engaging in intimidatory and bully-boy tactics outside the private homes of individuals, not only politicians but also others, is completely unacceptable.

I would like that we would create a stand-alone offence to give the Garda the powers to address these issues. We have got to say to those small fringe groups who have no interest in our democracy and who have no interest in the rule of law that if they want to protest, they should protest legitimately, but somebody's private home and his or her family and neighbours deserve protection.

I thank the Minister for accepting the Bill and allowing it to go forward. I ask her to help expedite matters and see that it goes before the Committee on Justice in order that it can be enacted as soon as possible and that gardaí can be given powers to prevent the type of incidents which, unfortunately, we have seen in recent years.

Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I congratulate Senator Malcolm Byrne on bringing forward this Bill. I join him in thanking the Minister for accepting it. This is important legislation that is about to be passed by the House.

The Senator stated that peaceful demonstration is a vital part of our democracy. That is quite true. We have to allow people to demonstrate and to protest in a peaceful manner but what we have seen over the past number of years outside high-profile public representatives' private houses where their families are inside, is not acceptable.

I welcome this legislation and I congratulate all involved in bringing it this far.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Malcolm Byrne. I also thank Senator O'Loughlin, who seconded the Bill. As both Senators present outlined, there has been a worrying evolving trend of protests outside politicians' homes. While we all want to protect the right for people to protest peacefully, that trend has taken a more sinister and worrying direction. It is important that we do everything that we can to protect those who are democratically elected and have a mandate to represent their constituents and to work on behalf of this country.

I have written to the Committee on Justice to ask it to look at this. We needed to pass all Stages here before proceeding. I look forward to the Bill going to the committee as soon as possible and when the new Chair has been appointed. I will work with the Senator through that process and beyond.

I again thank the Senator for bringing the Bill forward. I acknowledge the objective of the Bill and the overall requirement to make sure that we have strong laws that protect everybody here. It is not only about politicians' homes. We need to send a message that any type of intimidation or any type of behaviour that would set out to cause harm or fear to an individual or his or her family cannot be tolerated. I thank the Senator. I am happy to support the legislation.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I commend Senator Malcolm Byrne on bringing forward the legislation. I also commend the Minister and her officials.

One of the concerns we all have is that now people are using the guise of protesting as part of our democratic structures. That is clearly something we all support, but this is not about peaceful protest. This is about intimidation and about undermining democracy itself. Democracy has to stop giving a platform to people and allowing them to intimidate public representatives and people who are working on behalf of and for the State and, ultimately, trying to force individuals out of public office or intimidate people into either making certain decisions or into not making other decisions that are in the best interests of all this country. In the context of this legislation, we need to protect democracy. Peaceful protest is something we all agree with. There are places to do that, but intimidating people's families, public representatives and officials who work on behalf of the State is something we cannot afford to tolerate because it undermines the institutions of our State.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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When is it proposed to sit again?

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Next Tuesday, at 1 p.m.

Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.