‘Legislating by Google’ claim after furious Dáil row

FINE Gael was incensed last night after being accused of “legislating by Google” by a spokesman for Justice Minister Dermot Ahern.

Fine Gael had published a victims’ rights bill in January and was looking for Government support to implement its proposals.

The Fine Gael bill was due to be debated in the Dáil next week.

But Mr Ahern stole a march on the party yesterday morning when announcing the Government would bring forward its own victims’ rights bill next year — effectively making the Fine Gael bill redundant.

Fine Gael reacted angrily, claiming Mr Ahern’s approach was in stark contrast to his predecessor, Brian Lenihan, who had shown willingness to consider the party’s proposals and adopt a bipartisan approach.

Fine Gael children’s spokesman, Alan Shatter, said Mr Ahern was simply “hawking around non-existent legislation” aimed at deflecting from his unwillingness to accept the party’s proposals.

“Minister Ahern and his Government are playing politics with crime victims’ lives. Rather than accept, or recommend improvements to, a fully drafted Fine Gael bill on victims’ rights that will be debated in the Dáil next week, Minister Ahern is more interested in holding press conferences to announce legislation in the area that does not yet exist and won’t see the light of day for another year,” Mr Shatter said.

But Mr Ahern’s spokesman fired back, accusing Mr Shatter of “legislating by Google”, as the Fine Gael bill was similar to laws already in place in New Zealand.

The spokesman said Mr Shatter was taking the “Terence Flanagan approach” to drafting laws — a reference to the Fine Gael TD who was caught plagiarising from other politicians’ speeches this year.

But Fine Gael said Mr Shatter had informed Mr Ahern in a private briefing shortly after his appointment as Justice Minister, that the bill drew in parts on the “very sophisticated” New Zealand approach. A party spokesman said Mr Ahern was now using this courtesy briefing against Mr Shatter, and had “knocked on the head” the possibility of a bipartisan approach.

The row came after an earlier clash in the Dáil between the two sides. Fine Gael had queried why Mr Ahern was absent during the renewal of legislation relevant to his portfolio.

When the party learned Mr Ahern was in fact giving a press conference on the victims’ rights issue, there was uproar, and Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue suspended the Dáil several times.

Mr Ahern eventually did appear to take the legislation, and order was restored.