Vol. 506 No. 2
78 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when the planned register of sex offenders will be in place; when the legislation to provide limited legal representation for victims in rape cases will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15372/99]
The Government's An Action Programme for the Millennium contains a commitment to introduce a register of sex offenders. In February last, I sought and obtained Cabinet approval for the preparation of heads of a sex offenders Bill to provide for the establishment of such a register, the principal focus of which to be offences against children. On 1 June, following consideration by the Cabinet of the heads, I received approval for the drafting of the Bill.
In addition to the register, the Bill will deal with post-release supervision of sex offenders by the Probation and Welfare Service, and separate legal representation in certain circumstances for complainants of rape and serious sexual assault. It will also include provision for a new civil court order against a sex offender whose behaviour in the community gives the gardaí reasonable cause for concern that the order is necessary to protect the public from serious harm. In addition it will create an offence for a convicted child sex offender to seek or accept employment involving unsupervised access to children without informing the employer of the conviction.
These measures arise, in the main, from the discussion paper on the law on sexual offences which I published in May of last year, and are in line with the responses received to that paper.
Preparation of this legislation has been and will continue to be given a high priority within my Department. I expect that the Bill will be drafted in time for its enactment during the next Dáil session.
