Health boards are in a position to offer appropriate counselling and support services to persons who are paedophiles and those with paedophile tendencies who are referred to them for treatment and who are identified as being in need of such services. The provision of these services is a matter in the first instance for each health board, having regard to the needs in individual cases.
The successful completion of any treatment course depends critically on the full and willing participation of self-motivated individuals. Otherwise, the key elements of the programme concerned with challenging the individuals to take responsibility for their behaviour will not suc ceed. The establishment of specialist treatment centres for paedophiles is not favoured at present as it could result in their being stigmatised and thus less likely to come forward for, or complete, a course of treatment.
I am informed by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform that every effort is made to assist sex offenders in custody who are willing to participate in their personal rehabilitation and relapse prevention. There are four forms of direct therapeutic intervention available to sex offenders within the Irish prison system at present. All four are aimed at enabling such offenders gain some measure of control over their personal tendencies towards offending behaviour. While it is not possible to accurately quantify participation in all forms of rehabilitation, many of those in custody have availed of one or more of the forms of intervention.