Vol. 475 No. 7
189 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Justice the terms of reference of the working group on the Internet; when it will be set up; the proposed membership of the body; when it will be required to report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5689/97]
At its meeting on 11 February last, the Government agreed on the establishment by my Department of a working group on illegal and harmful use of the Internet. The terms of reference of the group, as approved by the Government, are as follows: to identify the nature and extent of the issues surrounding the illegal and harmful use of the Internet; to prioritise such Internet issues with particular reference to the need to address the issue of child pornography in the short-term; to examine and assess the current approaches both domestically and internationally to addressing Internet issues, in relation to those issues which can be domestically addressed, to identify the legal, technical and structural problems which arise and to make specific recommendations for their resolution in terms of short, medium and long-term proposals as appropriate and in relation to those issues which require resolution in an international context, to make recommendations which will inform policy in this regard.
The inaugural meeting of the group, chaired by an official from my Department, took place on 25 February and included representatives from Government Departments, UNICEF, service providers and from relevant academic and research areas.
The Deputy will appreciate that the area being studied by the group is highly complex and has a major international dimension. There are no quick and easy solutions available for the many difficult legal, technical and structural issues to be addressed. Rather than commit the group to deadlines which would jeopardise their brief, the terms of reference reflect the need to identify, quantify and prioritise the various issues and evaluate "best practice", particularly in other countries. This will inevitably take some time to accomplish. I, should however, draw the Deputy's attention to the specific direction being given to the group regarding the prioritisation of issues relating to child pornography.
