Perjury bill to be considered by Senators tomorrow

Ken Murphy

The Perjury and Related Offences Bill 2018, introduced by Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh last week, provides for prison sentences of up to seven years for perjurers.

The draft bill provides for a class B fine and/or up to a year in jail on summary conviction, and a fine and/or up to seven years in jail on conviction on indictment.

The second stage debate will take place tomorrow afternoon.

Speaking ahead of the debate, Ken Murphy, director general of the Law Society, told the Irish Independent that the regulatory body “completely support this bill’s objective” and he looked forward to “reviewing the bill in its final amended form”.

However, some solicitors have expressed scepticism over the bill amid claims that it will reduce fraudulent claims in the courts.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has campaigned for the introduction of a statutory offence of perjury for over a year.

Karen Kearney, partner in the medical negligence department at Cantillons, told Irish Legal News last summer that fraudulent claims are a “tiny minority” already dealt with by existing laws.