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A CIVIL RIGHTS watchdog has said the proposals to give the government the power to shut down mobile phone networks, if it fears the possibility of a terrorist attack, is a reasonable and “proportionate” power for the government to hold.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) says the proposal – which is being included in anti-terrorism laws passed by the Dáil today, and being sent to the Seanad – is a reasonable one.
This evening the council said the circumstances under which phone networks could be shut down were particularly stringent.
“The proposed cessation of mobile services is subject to strict time limits; can only be authorised at the highest levels; and must be demonstrated to be of direct material necessity,” said ICCL policy manager Deirdre Duffy.
Duffy said any measure such as the power to shut down a mobile phone network needed to be subject to strict controls in order to be complaint with international human rights and civil liberties standards, and the legislation “largely” fulfilled this requirement.
It has been suggested that the proposal to allow mobile phone networks to be shut down has been deliberately brought forward so that the laws will be in place before the G8 summit taking place in Fermanagh next month.
The aim of the legislation is to ensure that a bomb cannot be remotely activated over the mobile phone network.
Duffy said the legislation was not yet perfect, however, and said the current wording did not guarantee that access to the emergency services would still be available – that is, that a mobile user could still dial 112 to call the emergency services if a network was shut down.
She added that the legislation did not discuss the geographical area that could be targeted by a shut-down – “something that in the interest of proportionality should be provided for explicitly in the text”, she said.
The ICCL has also called for the powers to be made subject to some kind of parliamentary review, or for a sunset clause to be inserted into the Bill so that TDs would get another chance to evaluate whether the system was working as intended.
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The only reason seems to be that there are no tourists to cater for due to pandemic and it goes to show these landlords just chase the highest yield they can get per year and will go back to that way when the tourists start coming again so it’s up to government to make sure its more beneficial to them for long term lettings which they have spouted about in past but never brought in any legislation to make sure it happened
@Darren Callaghan: correct, however unfortunately you are a bit smarter than most government officials and journal commenters
@Darren Callaghan: You’re absolutely spot on. I also think there’s a feeling in the air that the recession to come from this will be huge, and landlords are surely itching to get tenants in now on a long term contract at the current rental prices before they surely drop some more. It would be lovely to see rent prices drop 30% from today’s prices. It’s very badly needed. Lets get construction back in operation on Monday and let’s bash out 100′s of houses a week and force the price of rent down with increasing supply
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: I have been checking daft almost 3 times a day and there is no prices changes at this moment but number of houses/apartments for rent gradually going up.
@artur filip: I’ve seen a 3 bed house go for €1450 a month in Maynooth. It was rare to see a 3 bed go for less than €1800, some on the market for €2300 a couple months back. I’ve just had a look and there’s a 3 bed on the market today for €1600 in Leixlip, they’re not down massively but they are dropping slowly.
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: Let’s hope you get your wish and those who have no work now lose their homes so the supply can be bolstered even more. It works both ways. Fingers crossed for you.
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: I think the market is pretty much frozen at the moment. We’ll really have no idea what’s going to happen until restrictions start to ease.
@Liam McLiam: I don’t get you. This lockdown has forced construction on new housing developments to pause. We had a target of 30’000 houses this year. We were already very slow off the mark in January. And now with the 5 week construction pause it has cost us around another 3500 new houses for this year’s target. We need to get back to work, simple as. We’ll be lucky to hit 20’000 houses this year. We failed to meet 2019′s target by 5’000 and we failed to meet 2018′s target by around the same figure. Supply needs increased, it will be beneficial to everyone. And the government need to step it up with social housing, they are failing miserably on that front
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: unfortunately before we’d even heard of Coronavirus some landlords, particularly large international investment firms who’ve hoovered up many of the developments built over the past few years, were prepared to let properties remain vacant rather than see a reduction in rental prices. To see prices drop now would be great in the short term but wouldn’t resolve the issue as we’d still be on the boom/bust merry-go-round and it would actually take pressure off whatever new government is formed to tackle the issue. We need to stop relying on private landlords who see housing as a cash cow.
To keep housing available for the residents of Ireland perhaps we can stop giving work permits to language students. Many use language school as a way to secure employment.
@Rathminder:
Plus it will reduce overcrowding on the LUAS and DART.
Why stop at language students?
Not only have you solved the housing issue but you’ve also solved the transport issue albeit unintentionally.
You’re an absolute genius.
Great news shows the government strategy is working
@john s: Which strategy are you referring to John?
@Logan Shepherd: the one that reduces homelessness
@john s: It has nothing to do with the government. If anything the government have been feeding the homelessness problem for years and years. AirBnB’s have been freed up because of the lack of tourism and now landlords are choosing to rent properties to normal people whereas before they were making far too much using AirBnB. This is where we are seeing most of the properties become available again. Absolutely nothing to do with the government. However, a working government could have and should have solved that problem years ago
@john s: these figures are not due to any strategy. The comment by Darren Callahan saves the bother of explaining.
@john s: So you are saying it was government strategy to introduce the virus to the country and end tourism. You’re right so, it is working.
@john s: Actually I will emphasise how clueless your comment is by letting you know that the current government literally haven’t even included housing on their 7 point policy plan. Literally avoided it. So it actually sounds like they have no plan
@Séadna O’Grádaigh: so homelessness is going up and the government puts a plan in place over the last number of years and now that this is working and the numbers are going down it’s still no good. Some people just like to moan. I’m sure you are not one of them
@john s: Can you spell out the government’s plan for me? Pretend I haven’t a clue and teach me like I’m a child please. I’ll await your response
@john s: are u a actually serious? Homeless dropped slightly coming down because greedy land lords that only let their apartments to tourists, are now renting to local people as there are no tourists!!
This is nothing to do with any non existent gov policy.
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