Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland
{{Short description|Amendment allowing for the refusal of bail}}
{{for|the Irish Free State constitutional amendment|Constitution (Amendment No. 16) Act 1929}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox referendum
|name = Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland
|title = To provide that a court could refuse bail in certain circumstances
|date = {{Start date|1996|11|28|df=y}}
|country = Ireland
|yes = 579,740
|no = 194,968
|total = 777,586
|electorate = 2,659,895
}}
The Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1996 (previously bill no. 49 of 1996) is an amendment of the Constitution of Ireland which provides that a court can refuse bail to a suspect where it feared that while at liberty they would commit a serious criminal offence. It was approved by referendum on 28 November 1996 and signed into law on 12 December of the same year.
Background
In People (AG) v O'Callaghan (1966), the Supreme Court had ruled that the provisions of Article 40.4, which guarantees personal liberty and the principle of habeas corpus, meant that an individual charged with a crime could only be refused bail if they were likely to flee or to interfere with witnesses or evidence. In a 1976 Dáil debate on "the breakdown in law and order", Paddy Cooney, the Minister for Justice in the Fine Gael–Labour coalition, said the government favoured a referendum on reducing the right to bail.{{cite web |last1=Cooney |first1=Paddy |title=Private Members' Business. — Law and Order: Motion |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1976-11-23/18/#para_636 |website=Dáil Éireann (20th Dáil) debates |publisher=Oireachtas |access-date=14 September 2021 |language=en-ie |date=23 November 1976 |archive-date=14 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914172631/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1976-11-23/18/#para_636 |url-status=live }}; {{cite news |title=Dáil Report: Referendum on bail may be held, says Cooney |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1976/1124/Pg006.html#Ar00602 |access-date=14 September 2021 |newspaper=The Irish Times |url-access=subscription |date=24 November 1976 |page=6 }}
A Law Reform Commission report published in August 1995 and chaired by former Supreme Court judge Anthony Hederman considered legal approaches to bail.{{cite web|url=https://publications.lawreform.ie/Portal/External/en-GB/RecordView/Index/30532|title=Report: An examination of the law of bail|date=August 1995|access-date=21 May 2018|publisher=Law Reform Commission|archive-date=22 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522112719/https://publications.lawreform.ie/Portal/External/en-GB/RecordView/Index/30532|url-status=live}} The Sixteenth Amendment made it possible for a court to take into account whether or not a person had committed serious crimes while on bail in the past. The amendment was introduced by the Fine Gael–Labour Party–Democratic Left government led by Taoiseach John Bruton.
Changes to the text
Insertion of new Article 40.4.7°:
{{quote frame|Provision may be made by law for the refusal of bail by a court to a person charged with a serious offence where it is reasonably considered necessary to prevent the commission of a serious offence by that person.}}
Note: This provision was renumbered as 40.4.6° by the Twenty-first Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland in 2002.
Oireachtas debate
A similar proposal had been proposed by Fianna Fáil Justice Spokesperson John O'Donoghue on 8 June 1995.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1995-06-08/3/|title=Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1995: First Stage.|access-date=21 May 2018|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas|archive-date=22 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522042322/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1995-06-08/3/|url-status=live}} On 4 October 1995, this was rejected by 65 votes to 47.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1995-10-04/18/|title=Private Members' Business - Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1995: Second Stage (Resumed).|date=4 October 1995|access-date=21 May 2018|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas|archive-date=22 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522042302/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1995-10-04/18/|url-status=live}}
On 16 October 1996, Minister for Justice Nora Owen proposed the Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1996.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1996-10-15/18/|title=Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1996: Second Stage.|date=16 October 1996|access-date=21 May 2018|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas|archive-date=22 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522111359/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1996-10-15/18/|url-status=live}} It was supported by the two major opposition parties, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats, and passed final stages in the Dáil on the same day.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1996-10-16/6/|title=Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1996: Committee and Final Stages.|date=16 October 1996|access-date=21 May 2018|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas|archive-date=22 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522041658/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/1996-10-16/6/|url-status=live}} It passed final stages in the Seanad on 23 October and proceeded to a referendum on 28 November 1996.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/1996-10-23/6/|title=Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill, 1996: Committee and Final Stages.|date=23 October 1996|access-date=21 May 2018|publisher=Houses of the Oireachtas|archive-date=22 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522042408/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/1996-10-23/6/|url-status=live}}
Result
{{Referendum
|title = Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland referendum{{cite web|url=http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/LocalGovernment/Voting/referendum_results_1937-2015.pdf|work=Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government|title=Referendum Results 1937–2015|page=54|date=23 August 2016|accessdate=21 May 2018|archive-date=20 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220195002/http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/LocalGovernment/Voting/referendum_results_1937-2015.pdf|url-status=live}}
|yes = 579,740
|yespct = 74.83
|no = 194,968
|nopct = 25.17
|valid = 774,708
|validpct = 99.63
|invalid = 2,878
|invalidpct = 0.37
|total = 777,586
|turnoutpct = 29.23
|electorate = 2,659,895
}}
| class="wikitable sortable"
! rowspan=2 | Constituency ! rowspan=2 | Electorate ! rowspan=2 | {{nowrap|Turnout (%)}} ! colspan=2 | Votes ! colspan=2 | Proportion of votes |
| Yes
! No ! Yes ! No |
|---|
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Carlow–Kilkenny
| style="text-align: right;" | 85,589 | style="text-align: right;" | 30.1% | style="text-align: right;" | 19,413 | style="text-align: right;" | 6,242 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 75.7% | style="text-align: right;" | 24.3% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Cavan–Monaghan
| style="text-align: right;" | 81,466 | style="text-align: right;" | 24.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 14,573 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,201 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 73.7% | style="text-align: right;" | 26.3% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Clare
| style="text-align: right;" | 68,641 | style="text-align: right;" | 27.0% | style="text-align: right;" | 13,626 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,828 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 73.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 26.1% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Cork East
| style="text-align: right;" | 61,966 | style="text-align: right;" | 31.5% | style="text-align: right;" | 14,368 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,114 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 73.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 26.2% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Cork North-Central
| style="text-align: right;" | 70,935 | style="text-align: right;" | 28.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 13,753 | style="text-align: right;" | 6,348 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 68.5% | style="text-align: right;" | 31.5% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Cork North-West
| style="text-align: right;" | 46,310 | style="text-align: right;" | 33.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 11,722 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,857 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 75.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 24.7% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Cork South-Central
| style="text-align: right;" | 81,420 | style="text-align: right;" | 33.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 18,822 | style="text-align: right;" | 8,183 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 69.7% | style="text-align: right;" | 30.3% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Cork South-West
| style="text-align: right;" | 46,607 | style="text-align: right;" | 32.2% | style="text-align: right;" | 11,323 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,631 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 75.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 24.2% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Donegal North-East
| style="text-align: right;" | 50,366 | style="text-align: right;" | 18.0% | style="text-align: right;" | 5,818 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,191 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 64.6% | style="text-align: right;" | 35.4% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Donegal South-West
| style="text-align: right;" | 50,677 | style="text-align: right;" | 18.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 6,289 | style="text-align: right;" | 2,992 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 67.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 32.2% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin Central
| style="text-align: right;" | 59,526 | style="text-align: right;" | 29.7% | style="text-align: right;" | 12,361 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,267 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 70.2% | style="text-align: right;" | 29.8% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin North
| style="text-align: right;" | 69,954 | style="text-align: right;" | 32.2% | style="text-align: right;" | 17,388 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,129 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 77.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 22.7% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin North-Central
| style="text-align: right;" | 63,725 | style="text-align: right;" | 37.1% | style="text-align: right;" | 17,548 | style="text-align: right;" | 6,066 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 74.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 25.6% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin North-East
| style="text-align: right;" | 58,653 | style="text-align: right;" | 33.5% | style="text-align: right;" | 14,967 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,644 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 76.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 23.6% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin North-West
| style="text-align: right;" | 55,794 | style="text-align: right;" | 31.1% | style="text-align: right;" | 12,827 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,453 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 74.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 25.7% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin South
| style="text-align: right;" | 88,699 | style="text-align: right;" | 35.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 23,388 | style="text-align: right;" | 8,288 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 73.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 26.1% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin South-Central
| style="text-align: right;" | 59,930 | style="text-align: right;" | 34.2% | style="text-align: right;" | 15,088 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,316 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 74.0% | style="text-align: right;" | 26.0% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin South-East
| style="text-align: right;" | 64,134 | style="text-align: right;" | 30.6% | style="text-align: right;" | 12,620 | style="text-align: right;" | 6,917 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 64.6% | style="text-align: right;" | 35.4% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin South-West
| style="text-align: right;" | 74,176 | style="text-align: right;" | 26.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 15,324 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,611 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 76.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 23.1% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dublin West
| style="text-align: right;" | 65,235 | style="text-align: right;" | 27.5% | style="text-align: right;" | 14,095 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,792 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 78.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 21.1% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Dún Laoghaire
| style="text-align: right;" | 89,767 | style="text-align: right;" | 34.5% | style="text-align: right;" | 21,646 | style="text-align: right;" | 9,216 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 70.2% | style="text-align: right;" | 29.8% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Galway East
| style="text-align: right;" | 44,108 | style="text-align: right;" | 25.6% | style="text-align: right;" | 9,007 | style="text-align: right;" | 2,216 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 80.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 19.7% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Galway West
| style="text-align: right;" | 84,202 | style="text-align: right;" | 24.6% | style="text-align: right;" | 15,256 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,363 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 74.0% | style="text-align: right;" | 26.0% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Kerry North
| style="text-align: right;" | 50,303 | style="text-align: right;" | 25.7% | style="text-align: right;" | 9,314 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,523 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 72.6% | style="text-align: right;" | 27.4% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Kerry South
| style="text-align: right;" | 46,459 | style="text-align: right;" | 26.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 9,170 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,287 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 73.7% | style="text-align: right;" | 26.3% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Kildare
| style="text-align: right;" | 85,932 | style="text-align: right;" | 28.7% | style="text-align: right;" | 19,171 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,415 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 78.0% | style="text-align: right;" | 22.0% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Laois–Offaly
| style="text-align: right;" | 82,054 | style="text-align: right;" | 28.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 18,007 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,612 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 76.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 23.7% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Limerick East
| style="text-align: right;" | 74,746 | style="text-align: right;" | 29.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 17,472 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,764 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 78.6% | style="text-align: right;" | 21.4% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Limerick West
| style="text-align: right;" | 46,385 | style="text-align: right;" | 28.5% | style="text-align: right;" | 10,468 | style="text-align: right;" | 2,648 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 79.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 20.1% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Longford–Roscommon
| style="text-align: right;" | 62,324 | style="text-align: right;" | 29.5% | style="text-align: right;" | 14,714 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,561 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 80.6% | style="text-align: right;" | 19.4% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Louth
| style="text-align: right;" | 69,725 | style="text-align: right;" | 26.1% | style="text-align: right;" | 13,445 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,634 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 74.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 25.6% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Mayo East
| style="text-align: right;" | 44,474 | style="text-align: right;" | 25.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 8,897 | style="text-align: right;" | 2,356 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 79.1% | style="text-align: right;" | 20.9% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Mayo West
| style="text-align: right;" | 46,368 | style="text-align: right;" | 25.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 9,018 | style="text-align: right;" | 2,686 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 77.1% | style="text-align: right;" | 22.9% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Meath
| style="text-align: right;" | 85,805 | style="text-align: right;" | 27.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 18,020 | style="text-align: right;" | 5,265 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 77.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 22.6% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Sligo–Leitrim
| style="text-align: right;" | 62,433 | style="text-align: right;" | 28.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 13,502 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,105 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 76.7% | style="text-align: right;" | 23.3% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Tipperary North
| style="text-align: right;" | 44,488 | style="text-align: right;" | 32.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 11,112 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,187 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 77.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 22.2% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Tipperary South
| style="text-align: right;" | 59,120 | style="text-align: right;" | 31.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 14,492 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,253 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 77.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 22.6% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Waterford
| style="text-align: right;" | 67,002 | style="text-align: right;" | 27.0% | style="text-align: right;" | 13,209 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,830 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 73.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 26.7% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Westmeath
| style="text-align: right;" | 46,925 | style="text-align: right;" | 28.3% | style="text-align: right;" | 10,177 | style="text-align: right;" | 3,059 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 76.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 23.1% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"| Wexford
| style="text-align: right;" | 81,251 | style="text-align: right;" | 29.4% | style="text-align: right;" | 19,002 | style="text-align: right;" | 4,781 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 79.9% | style="text-align: right;" | 20.1% |
| style="background:#c8ffc8;"|Wicklow
| style="text-align: right;" | 82,221 | style="text-align: right;" | 31.2% | style="text-align: right;" | 19,378 | style="text-align: right;" | 6,137 | style="text-align: right; background:#c8ffc8;" | 76.0% | style="text-align: right;" | 24.0% |
| class="sortbottom" style="font-weight:bold; background:rgb(232,232,232);"
|Total | style="text-align: right;" | 2,659,895 | style="text-align: right;" | 29.2% | style="text-align: right;" | 579,740 | style="text-align: right;" | 194,968 | style="text-align: right;" | 74.8% | style="text-align: right;" | 25.2% |
Aftermath
The Bail Act 1997 was passed as the provision to be made by law arising from the amendment.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1996/en/act/cam/0016/index.html Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1996]
- [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1997/en/act/pub/0016/index.html Bail Act 1997]
- [https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/1996/49/?tab=debates Oireachtas Debates on the Sixteenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1996]
- [https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/1995/30/?tab=debates Oireachtas Debates on the Fifteenth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 1995]
- [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/en/constitution/index.html Full text of the Constitution of Ireland]
{{Amendments of the Constitution of Ireland}}
Category:1996 in Irish politics