I ask leave to have printed and circulated to Deputies the Treasonable and Seditious Offences Bill, 1925. It is
A Bill to declare divers acts of a treasonable or seditious nature or otherwise injurious to the State to be offences and to make provision for the punishment thereof and for other matters connected therewith.
Deputies are probably aware that certain emergency legislation by which the State defended itself over the last couple of years has either expired, or is about to expire. One of the Public Safety Acts expired on the 1st of the present month, and the other Act, the Public Safety (Punishment of Offences) Act, will shortly expire. It is not proposed to seek a renewal of that temporary emergency legislation, but it is proposed to place before the Dáil for its consideration a permanent Bill, intended to be a permanent Act, which will equip the Executive with sufficient powers to deal with offences directly against the State and provide suitable punishment for such offences.
Leave given to introduce the Bill.
Bill read a First Time. Second Stage fixed for Wednesday, February 18th.
