Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

All I will say is that before we go down that road, let us remember it was Deputy Jim O'Keeffe who caused ripples at our all-party committee by saying he wanted the age of consent to be stuck at 17 and that Deputy Howlin and I took a different view. The answer to that is: "I do not know." This is not an easy one and I do not want to get into the matter.

The principle of the 2006 Act was that it was gender neutral in so far as it could be with one exception, namely, that we did not want to criminalise pregnant girls. Subject to that exception, we approached it on the basis that an offence could be committed equally against boys and girls and that all acts which were not criminal with a boy were not criminal with a girl. That was the approach we took.

If I were to accept the Deputy's amendment, I would be turning back the clock and saying that a 16 year old girl can commit certain acts with a 50 year old man but a 16 year old boy cannot. I am not particularly happy going down that road. That is the position in which we find ourselves.

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