Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 21: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the persons in his Department who had access to the Fine Gael draft Bill entitled Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2006, which was sent to his Department from the Bills Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas in May 2006; the requests which were made for the Bill; the persons who the Bill was given or shown to outside his Department or the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22255/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I understand that on 24 May 2006, the Chief Whip's office received two separate draft private Members Bills by e-mail from the Bills Office with the request that they forward same to my Department. One of these was the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2006 and the other was the Courts (Register of Sentences) Bill 2006. The message accompanying the Bills was that Deputy Jim O'Keeffe would be seeking leave to introduce both Bills in the Dáil on 25 May and that one or other would be debated in the Dáil on Private Members Business the following week. In those circumstances, insofar as my Department was concerned, both Bills were immediately circulated to those officials who would be dealing with them and also to officials who might have an input into the response to them or have views to offer on them.

There was no indication in the messages received that either or both Bills were on restricted circulation or were confidential. Accordingly, any references by my Department to the contents of the Fine Gael Bill were in good faith and without any awareness of any wish by the Deputy's party to keep their legislative proposals out of the public domain.