Vol. 526 No. 1
123 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the indepth analysis by his Department of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court has been completed; and if he will provide an outline thereof. [25692/00]
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is a very complex instrument and requires long and careful consideration to establish the precise legislative provisions that would be required to enable us to ratify the statute. Even a cursory examination of the statute will give an idea of the complex issues that arise to be dealt with. The end product is likely to be a Bill which will have similarities with the recently enacted International War Crimes Tribunals Act, 1998, but there will be differences because the statute is a more complicated and comprehensive instrument. As the Deputy will be aware, a referendum to amend the Constitution will require to be carried before ratification can be achieved. Assuming that that referendum is successful, the necessary further legislation will be introduced as quickly as possible having regard to other high priority legislative requirements.
