Mr. John O'Driscoll:

Certainly, every child should have the opportunity of receiving information and help in tackling the criminality involved. Whatever way that has to be delivered, we must ensure we leave nobody behind. The Garda Síochána, being in every district and division in the country, will do its part to engage with the Department of Education, with schools at local level and with young people in whatever manner it can to ensure it delivers its message and the guidance it can offer.

The Senator mentioned the example of the targeting of journalists. I am aware of a number of successful investigations that have resulted in prosecutions in that area. In any case where criminality of that nature is discovered we certainly will engage with the relevant companies and will do all we can to ensure that they play their part in preventing the crime, in the first instance, and the continuation of it where it has commenced, while at the same time focusing to a large extent on the investigation and attempting to gather the evidence that will be sufficient to institute a prosecution. A lot of the criminality involved recently is new to all concerned. It is a fact that everybody is now online whereas a few years ago fewer people would have been online. Each year that the number grows, the potential for all of us to become victims is growing and obviously the extent of the criminality of this nature occurring is growing. Into the future, it is going to take the resources of all of us, including the resources of the Garda Síochána, relevant Departments and other State agencies, to bring about a situation where it is safer to be online.