SIM card registration
Senator Conway outlines a forthcoming Bill requiring purchasers of SIM cards to provide identification so cards can be registered, citing public safety concerns.
I am sorry; I missed my slot earlier.
Comment on this
The Cathaoirleach is always a gentleman and that is not going to change.
I commend Senator Ned O'Sullivan for his contribution on the issue of mobile phone coverage, although I am coming at it from a different perspective. I intend to bring a SIM registration Bill to the floor of the House in the coming weeks which will aim to ensure all SIM cards sold by mobile phone operators will be registered in a database and that anyone who wishes to buy a SIM card will have to produce a utility bill or a passport to do so. Mobile communication is great and the ongoing advances made are wonderful but, unfortunately, the possibilities associated with such communication are being abused, particularly by gangland criminals who are buying multiple SIM cards at will. There is no minimum age limit for the purchase of a SIM card. Children as young as nine or ten years can go into a mobile phone shop with €50, buy ten SIM cards and walk away. The cards can then be inserted into electronic devices and used to cause mayhem. It is not good enough. In many other European countries there are registration systems in place for SIM cards and it is time a degree of control was taken of the pay-as-you-go market. I hope the House will support the forthcoming SIM registration Bill and send it to the Lower House for approval.