Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I move amendment No. 2:

In page 8, line 2, to delete “18 years” and substitute “17 years”.

The age of sexual consent in this country is 17. Why is there a difference in the age here? There seems to be a lack of consistency between the age of consent and the threshold regarding an individual being placed on the register and the length of time he or she is on it. What is the reason for that?

In terms of amendment No. 3, the reality is that if an offender was just shy of his or her 18 birthday and committed a very serious offence and has a high risk of reoffending, why is a maximum of five years being placed on that individual?

My questions are, first, why there is a differential between 17 and 18 and, second, should we not be giving the courts the discretion on an individual who has not reached the threshold of 18 years of age but has a very high risk of reoffending. Why should we minimise the length of time that they are subsequently on the register?