Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am the Fianna Fáil spokesperson and we work collectively as a committee. I am supportive of both items of legislation but it is a really complicated and complex area. We must be careful in how we approach this. The witnesses all get involved after a problem has arisen but there is a bigger question for society as to what is causing people to engage in sexual offences and attacks. This generation of young people is exposed to pornography on the Internet and other technology to a greater extent than any previous generation. We do not know, as of yet, the impact, particularly on young men, that the prevalence of pornography and the very submissive and malleable way it presents women, has on the development of sexuality. It is an area in which we need to do considerable research. I welcome that the Minister has said we will have a new Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland, SAVI, report. As the witnesses have indicated, there is no simple solution to this but research is the answer. It is important that we do not categorise people who are sex offenders as people who should be put in the bin and that we should never seek to rehabilitate them. I know nobody is suggesting that but it is a difficult concept. The first requirement is to protect the public. It is interesting that the recidivism levels for sex offenders are considerably lower than for burglary, for example, or crimes of property. That is my understanding. Am I wrong about that?