Mr. Brian Dack:

We think the placing of sex offender risk assessment and management, SORAM, on a statutory basis is very important. We have been operating SORAM on an administrative basis since 2010 and we have had a lot of contact with our colleagues in Public Protection Arrangements Northern Ireland, PPANI, and a lot of what the assistant chief constable has spoken about is mirrored in the administrative way we do things. Increasingly we have brought other partners into the SORAM arrangement. While it started with An Garda Síochána and the Probation Service, we now have a national steering committee representing the Probation Service, An Garda Síochána, the Prison Service, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, the local authorities through the local authority manager and survivors' advocacy groups at that national level. We have a joint, co-located office which has An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service, Tusla, the local authorities and the Prison Service working together in Harcourt Square.

We also work closely with the NGO sector because it provides supportive facilities to the sex offenders that we deal with in the community. To put it on a statutory basis would be very helpful for us, because it would allow increased co-operation and communication between us. While I take the point that changes have taken place in different items of legislation, we would certainly welcome this particular aspect being brought forward.