Deputy McDowell and others will know that I had serious reservations about this part of the Bill last year. With regard to frivolous accusations the amount is limited to £1,000. A cartel in a constituency could get together and provide an individual with the necessary finance to cause a Member of either House a considerable amount of inconvenience, difficulty and embarrassment. As Deputy Nealon stated, it would be very difficult for that Member to clear his name and it could affect him in an election.
At that time, I said to the Minister that the sum of £1,000 was too low and I will table an amendment on Report Stage that that should be £10,000. We are living in a sophisticated world which, I regret to say, is not the same as when I entered Parliament. Allegations made about a Member with another line of business, such as a barrister or a company director such as myself, could have very serious consequences for them. People could put forward frivolous complaints to get at me because I was going for election. I would then lose my seat in the Dáil and there would be nothing I could do about it. That could happen to any Member.
The limit of £1,000, which I admit that the Minister put forward in good faith, is a paltry amount and it should be increased to £10,000. It will be recoverable as a simple contract in the courts. Knowing the courts as I do, with all due respect to my distinguished legal colleagues here, that could be a very slow and expensive process. How far can one go here? Could those that had brought that claim but could not substantiate it go to prison? Could they get three months or ten years?