Vol. 495 No. 4
41 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action, if any, he proposes to take in response to the recommendations of the report on the law in relation to rape produced by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and Trinity College, Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20273/98]
The report on the legal process and victims of rape was published in September 1998. It was conducted by its authors for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and the School of Law at Trinity College Dublin, with funding provided by the European Commission under the Grotius Programme.
The Deputy will be aware that in May last I published a discussion paper on the law on sexual offences. One chapter of the paper deals with the trial of sexual offences and another chapter deals exclusively with rape and related offences. The closing date for the receipt of submissions was originally the end of August. However, this has since been informally extended so as to enable as many people and organisations as possible to respond to the discussion paper and in that respect submissions are still being received. The report on the legal process and victims of rape will be fully taken into account, along with all the submissions, in the formulation of any proposals for changes to the law which may ensue from the paper.
