Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 495: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the position with regard to having a sex offenders register that covers the island of Ireland. [30545/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I have been informed by the Garda authorities that the Sex Offenders Act 2001 does not create a sex offenders register nor is the term "register" mentioned or used in the legislation. The Act requires persons to be subject to notification requirements under Part 2 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001. The Garda Síochána has responsibility for enforcement of the Sex Offenders Act 2001.

In the context of the Good Friday Agreement and the subsequent criminal justice review of Northern Ireland, an intergovernmental agreement on North-South co-operation on criminal justice matters was signed on behalf of the British and Irish Governments at Stormont Castle in July 2005. One of the items included in the work programme for the first year is the establishment of a working group to review the arrangements for exchanging information on registered sex offenders. The first meeting of the working group of officials to implement the agreement will take place in Dublin in November and it is expected that a working group on exchanging information on registered sex offenders will be established at that meeting. I am further informed that the Garda Síochána has a good working relationship with the PSNI and regularly exchanges intelligence and information on convicted sex offenders.