ICCL: Covid laws give Government too much power 

Gardai on Winthrop Street, Cork, policing an anti-lockdown protest back in March. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties will appear before the justice committee to state that the Government "has too much power" regarding Covid-19 legislation. 

The Government has "too much power" with the current Covid-19 emergency legislation, an Oireachtas committee will hear tomorrow.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties will appear before the justice committee to discuss the "drastic and far-reaching measures" that the Government implemented in the name of public health.

Its opening statement says the measures "involve very significant interference with human rights", with the role of elected representatives in considering laws diminished, access to the justice system frustrated and the public prevented from leaving home without a ‘reasonable’ excuse under threat of fines or criminal prosecution.

ICCL says in some respects the Government "has done well, but in other areas restrictions have been disproportionate or have impacted disproportionately on some sections of society".

ICCL says the government has "failed to follow good practice" in the development of laws under Covid and damaged public confidence in the rule of law.

"ICCL is deeply disappointed that the Oireachtas has approved, albeit narrowly, the Government’s recent proposal to extend the extraordinary ministerial powers in the Health Act to November," its statement says.

"The decision to involve the Garda in the enforcement of guidelines, rather than simply as a front line service, carries great dangers of damaging Ireland’s model of community policing by consent.

"Since the introduction of fixed penalty fines we have seen an emerging pattern of disproportionate punishment of young men from certain areas," the statement adds.

ICCL is also concerned that the policing of protests has seen an uneven application of powers and arrests or threats of arrest of people engaged in religious activities.