Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I raised the issue of dangerous dogs recently. Having examined the legislation on this issue in place in the North, I found that the relevant information is presented in a user friendly manner. Sometimes information is not presented clearly and people using the Internet may find the information they seek is presented in a less than user friendly manner. Providing simple features online, for example, a section on "Frequently Asked Questions", makes legislation much more user friendly. It is frequently argued that the Upper and Lower Houses fail to communicate our message to members of the public. I ask the Leader to bring to the attention of the Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Tom Kitt, the manner in which legislation on dangerous dogs is presented to members of the public in this jurisdiction.

With regard to the arrests of persons on suspicion of child trafficking, recent crime statistics indicate that the incidence of child neglect and abandonment is increasing at a faster rate than most other crimes. It would be useful to discuss this and other issues with the Minister of State with responsibility for children. He is new to the portfolio and has many interesting ideas. I am particularly interested in discovering what type of cross-Border engagement is taking place to ensure an all-Ireland approach is taken to child protection. For example, we need to make progress on developing an all-Ireland register of sex offenders and addressing trafficking in children on a cross-Border basis.