Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I do not intend to go into the case any further than that, other than to refer to the conclusions we need to draw from it as a Parliament. It is up to professionals to assess the impact of such material on impressionable children but we can clearly and unambiguously say that this material should not be accessible to children.

The United Kingdom has introduced a new law, taking effect from mid-July, which means that people using the Internet will not be able to access adult images or videos without first proving that they are over 18 years of age. This is intended to stop a situation reported by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, NSPCC, where it is claimed that more than half of children and teenagers end up viewing pornography by accidentally coming across these sites. The Minister for Justice and Equality has already suggested that the Government might consider introducing a similar system of age verification here. Can the Government give us any clarity on its intentions in this regard? Will the Government commit to seeking a report from the United Kingdom by the end of this year on how well its system is working and if it is having the desired effect?

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