Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The charities regulation Bill is substantial legislation, which will involve statute law revision and restatement in addition to legislative reform provisions. It is being dealt with as speedily as possible. The legislation will regulate charities and it will be brought to the House as quickly as possible. I do not have a date but it has priority in the Department.

I have answered questions by Deputy O'Sullivan regarding legislation on a register of persons considered unsafe to work with children over the past few weeks. I raised it with my Northern counterparts last week when I was in the North to see if we can move ahead in other ways. I have people working on it to see if we can make progress as quickly as possible.

The Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Brian Lenihan, has enacted a number of key sections of the Children Act 2001. I do not know the sections off the top of my head but he took a large number of the outstanding sections recently.

The proposals on the audit of dioceses will be outlined today or tomorrow. A number of proposals were cleared by the Cabinet to ensure the framework used in 1996 and the procedures used for the Ferns inquiry — the interagency procedure throughout the country — will be taken forward. The decision has been made to move on with the proposals and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform will outline them.

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