Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The issue in respect of age of consent is addressed in section 17. The proposed section 17 includes a new section 3(8) of the 2006 Act and provides for a proximity-of-age defence where a person is charged with an offence against a child between the ages of 15 and 17 years. It shall be a defence that where the child consented to the activity and the accused is younger or less than two years older than the child or the accused is not considered to be a person in authority or there is no intimidatory or exploitative element to the relationship. Effectively what I am saying is that the issue Senator Walsh has raised is dealt with in section 17.