7. Amendment of section 4 of Act of 1984.
Section 4 of the Act of 1984 is amended -
(a) by the insertion of the following subsections after subsection (3):
(a) Notwithstanding the generality of subsection (3), if a person is detained pursuant to this section in respect of a relevant offence, the member of the Garda Síochána in charge of the Garda Síochána station where the person is being detained may, at any time during the detention, where the member has reasonable grounds for believing that it is necessary for the purpose of permitting enquiries or investigations to be made for the further and proper investigation of the offence concerned, suspend the detention of the person.
(b) Where the member of the Garda Síochána in charge of the Garda Síochána station suspends a person's detention under this subsection, the person shall, subject to subsection (5A), be released from custody forthwith unless his or her detention is authorised apart from this Act.
(a) A person's detention pursuant to this section in respect of a relevant offence may be suspended under subsection (3A) on no more than 2 occasions.
(b) The total period of time for which a person's detention may be suspended shall not in any case exceed a period of 4 months from the date on which the detention was first suspended.