Liz O'Donnell
Question:59 Ms O'Donnell asked the Minister for Justice her proposals in relation to the law on bigamy in the State; the number of prosecutions that have been taken in each of the years 1991 to 1993.
Written Answers. - Law on Bigamy.
The statutory provision relating to bigamy is contained in the Offences Against the Person Act, 1861. Section 57 of that Act provides that the offence of bigamy is committed where a married person, whose spouse is alive, goes through a ceremony of marriage with another person, whether the second marriage takes place in Ireland or elsewhere.
No offence occurs where certain conditions apply, it being a matter in each instance for the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide whether a prosecution should be instituted and for the courts to decide whether an offence has occurred. The maximum penalty on being convicted of bigamy is seven years imprisonment. I have no plans to review the law on bigamy at present.
Information in relation to the number of recorded cases of bigamy is contained in the Garda Commissioner's annual report on crime, copies of which are available in the Oireachtas Library. The 1993 report will be published shortly.