Vol. 92 No. 17
I move that the Committee agree with the Seanad in the following amendment:—
Section 4. In sub-section (1), page 4, in lines 6, 7 and 8, the words "or intimidation as defined in the said Part I of the said Act" deleted, and the words "as defined in the said Part I of the said Act or undue influence as so defined" substituted therefor.
This is merely a verbal amendment.
Is it clear whether a petition of the type to which this verification applies will be contained in numerous documents or must be contained in one document?
I do not think that arises on the amendment.
I did not say that it does. This Bill was let through the House without any discussion whatever. There is a limited time in which these petitions have to be prepared, to deal with the sending of legislation to the people for consideration; and if a petition has to be contained in one document, it would be quite impossible to get the petition through.
So far as this Bill is concerned, it deals only with the verification of signatures and has nothing to do with the form in which the petition is presented.
It increases the difficulty of the form of the document, if the petition has to be contained all in one document and if all the signatures required under the Constitution —and they are numerous—have to be applied. If the validity of the signatures is to be tested in the way proposed, it is quite clear that a petition could never get to An tUachtarán.
The Deputy is really making a mare's nest, as there is nothing in this particular Bill which prescribes that the petition shall be on one document. It relates merely to the verification of signatures to a petition. So far as this Bill is concerned, those signatures can be on one or more documents. Therefore, whatever else it may do, this Bill certainly does not do anything to impose difficulties on the petitioners.
Surely, it will. If the petition has to be a single document and there have to be something in the neighbourhood of 80 or 90 signatures, and if those signatures have to be attached to a certain document, all inside four days, and have to be verified in the way in which this particular Bill requires, the petition will be rendered completely impossible and no legislation whatever will be sent to the people.
This is merely an amendment.
If I am debarred on a point of order, I agree to your ruling. but I would like that there should be no doubt on this point. This is a question of a piece of legislation which was let through the House without any discussion. I thought the Minister might have the information and would give it.
I have told the Deputy that, so far as this Bill is concerned, there is nothing in it which would restrict the form in which a petition may be presented. I have already indicated that it may be in one or more documents, so far as this Bill is concerned. Whether the petition should, in fact, be contained in one document is a matter which, perhaps, requires further consideration; but, so far as the Bill now before the House is concerned, there is nothing which imposes any restriction on the form of the document.
It only means making it more difficult to obtain verification.
