Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has promised new measures to prevent videos of garda interviews being used by the leaders of criminal gangs to ensure information has not been given to gardaí.
The move was proposed in the final report of the Criminal Law Review Group, and Mr McDowell has said he intends to introduce amendments to the Bill to implement the group's recommendations.
As the Criminal Justice Bill continued its progress through the Dáil, there was broad consensus on many of its measures on tackling gang-related crime, altering the right to silence, toughening mandatory sentences and changing bail rules.
To prevent gang bosses demanding video tapes of interviews with suspects, they will now only be supplied after a suspect is charged, and a new offence of disclosing such a tape will be created.
Other recommendations from the group will take longer to implement, including measures to protect the reputation of victims.
The group also suggested courts should have the discretion to admit unconstitutionally obtained evidence or not, 'having regard to the totality of the circumstances and in particular the rights of the victim'.
However, the second stage of the bill's progress in the Dáil ended in disarray this afternoon when a quorum could not be found.
Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh called for the quorum just as Junior Minister Brian Lenihan was about to conclude the debate.
Under the rules of the Dáil, 20 TDs are supposed to be present in order for business to continue.
The Bill will now be dealt with next week.
