Seanad debates

Thursday, 19 September 2013

Directive of European Parliament on Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children: Statements

 

1:15 pm

Photo of Paschal DonohoePaschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to thank Senators for all their contributions. I have listened intently to what everybody has had to say and I wish to respond to the core points. I want to answer a question that was put to me concerning the status of the sexual offences legislation. I note Senators' concerns about its assignation as a C-piece of legislation. It is so designated at the moment because in order for it to move any further the Minister has to request, and obtain Cabinet agreement for, the drafting of the general scheme of the Bill. I have been informed that the Minister will be seeking that and expects to receive that agreement from Cabinet soon. This is being treated by him as an issue of the utmost urgency. I will pass on to the Minister the Senators' views on that particular legislation, as well as my own views on it. I share Senators' views on the need to have the legislation implemented promptly.

The second point concerns the balance between the right to free speech and expression and the consequences of those rights that we all enjoy. I am very clear on this matter. We are all endowed with and entitled to rights, one of which is the right to free speech. However, rights are not infinite - they operate within parameters. Nobody can exercise their rights in such a way as to cause harm to others, either directly or indirectly. That is where liberalism runs into real difficulty. I cannot think of a greater example regarding the need for those rights to be bounded than the issue we are discussing here.

Senators said that those images are crime scenes. I would go further than that because they are torture scenes.

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