Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The first problem is that the sex offenders register we have at the moment is a joke. It is a register in name only. Even though we have such a lax sex offenders register in this country, the Garda comes across at least one person every week who is in breach of it. The Garda usually comes across them for other offences and as a result of that, the offender is charged for the breach of the conditions relating to the sex offenders register. The offender has either changed address and not informed the Garda or never registered in the first place. We are talking about people who are not compliant with the terms and conditions that are being placed on them after their release from prison. Enforcement is quite lax at the moment. We are now asking those individuals to inform the Garda if they change their names. We know that their peers in the UK are not doing that and as a result, convicted sex offenders who have changed their names are not being monitored by the police in the UK. Some such offenders have been identified in this country in the past. People who are on the register in the UK have not registered here despite residing in this country. It is not good enough for us to leave the onus with convicted sex offenders, who for one reason or another are trying to avoid detection, to inform the Garda that they have changed their names. There needs to be a strengthening of the legislation in this area.