Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I received a detailed briefing from my colleague, Deputy Neville, on that meeting yesterday, which was very much in line with what Deputy Curran has described. I would say to both Deputies that what we are seeing here is a whole-of-Government approach to this issue. A senior officials' group, convened by the Department of the Taoiseach, is working on the development of an appropriate action plan and feedback from the recent open policy seminar has informed the development of that plan. This work is being taken forward under the auspices of an appropriate Cabinet committee.

I assure the Deputies that I am very mindful of the need to urgently review the body of relevant legislation. I refer Deputies to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, which amended the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 and significantly strengthened the criminal law in the matter of combating child exploitation. We are working on a whole-of-Government response. My responsibility, in the context of criminal law, is to feed into the legislative process and I hope to bring forward amending legislation shortly along the lines recommended in the LRC's report, with the assistance of Bills already drafted by other Members of this House.

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