Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would give consideration to that. By coincidence, this was the subject matter for a parliamentary question from Deputy Pringle earlier. I would be happy to engage further on that. The uptake is low. The system applies across the country. There is no regional disparity but we need to look at why the uptake is so low and whether a greater level of information can be supplied because it appears to me that in some circumstances victims and complainants might not be fully aware of the Act. I indicated to Deputy Pringle in reply to his parliamentary question that I would be happy to engage further and I say the same to Deputy Connolly. Looking through the Schedule here and going back to Deputy Connolly's earlier question, we have the codification of offences here before us but there may well be something of a less than consistent feature on the matter of spent convictions. In other words, there might be a conviction that is spent here and governed by our legislation that might not necessarily be covered by our international colleagues. It will depend on whether a conviction is spent in another jurisdiction. That will be a feature of the exchange of information. If an offence is spent here and is not spent in another jurisdiction, that will have to be taken into account in the context of the transfer of information.