Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

In those 16 years there has been a succession of legislative measures dealing with reform of the criminal law on sexual matters, of the law relating to children and of the law relating to sexual abuse. No Member of either House of the Oireachtas has ever tabled an amendment to any of those pieces of legislation along the lines recommended by the Law Reform Commission, and for good reason.

Successive Ministers for Justice and successive Governments have chosen not to make such a change, including Máire Geoghegan-Quinn who piloted through one of the most courageous Acts in this House to reform the law on sexual matters.

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