Bank of Scotland tracker redress cheque bounced back "unpaid"

Anyone writing cheques with insufficient funds is committing a criminal offence in Ireland. Section four of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act of 2001, which came into force August of 2002 makes it a criminal offence to issue a cheque with insuffient funds in the account to settle the cheque. Penalty can be up to 10 years in jail. Complaint should be made to the Irish Police.

I'm not a lawyer or legal specialist...
 
No.
Writing a cheque with insufficient funds is not always a criminal offence. However, the circumstances in which it's done can make it a criminal offence.
If you read the section of the act you've referred to above it'll be clearer.
 
Interesting observation RedOnion - this article quotes a Senior Counsel Martin Giblin:

"At Galway Circuit Criminal Court, one of the country's leading senior counsel, Martin Giblin, observed that it would come as a surprise to many people in business in Ireland that it was now a criminal offence to sign cheques when there were insufficient funds to cover them."

*I cant post links to websites anymore, the online forum says its spam content*
 

This article? https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/customers-bouncing-cheques-now-face-jail-25885702.html

There's a difference between the actual law and what a newspaper will publish.
If you read the full background of that case you'll see how Section four of the Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act of 2001 would apply.