John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if his Department has involvement in the new Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform initiatives on Internet safety; the plans these groups have to address the problem of explicit imagery being sent to children's phones; his views on the compulsory registration of all pre-pay as well as bill phones and the compulsory inclusion of filtering software in all phones bought by children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14753/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Internet lends itself to being used for a wide range of activities, both legal and illegal, and the protection of children from the potential of accessing harmful content is an issue of great concern. In this regard, I welcome the establishment by my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, of the Office of Internet Safety and the proposed Internet Safety Advisory Council. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has overall responsibility for malevolent Internet activity and information on the remit of these new bodies can be obtained from that Department.

Separate from those initiatives, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, and other private sector and not-for-profit organisations, recently conducted a public awareness campaign called "Make It Secure", to promote the safe use of the internet. The campaign was designed to increase awareness among citizens of the most common security risks related to accessing and transacting on the Internet, such as identity theft, spyware, phishing and child safety, particularly with regard to the potential risks from social networking. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform participated in the work of the campaign both directly and through the Internet Advisory Board.

As Minister with responsibility for Communications, I will continue to support the mobile phone industry in their work on the safe and responsible use of mobile phones. The Irish Cellular Industry Association (ICIA) has taken many steps in this regard, including the promotion of public awareness, exploring the benefits of content filtering software, the launch of a Parents Guide and a Code of Practice, which represents the minimum set of standards for operators. There is legislation in place to prosecute the issue of nuisance and criminal calls, and the sending of pornographic images by mobile phones. It is an offence under Section 13 of the Post Office (Amendment) Act, 1951 as amended, to send by phone any message or other matter, which is grossly offensive, or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character. It is an offence under Section 10 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997 to harass a person by use of a telephone. However, an important line of control rests with parents, and I would like to emphasise the role of parents in decisions concerning the purchase and use of mobile phones by their children. Their supervisory role is key to safeguarding them from the abuse of such technology.

On the question of a register of mobile phones, my Department has previously reviewed this proposal. Having consulted with the Office of the Attorney General and other interested parties, it was concluded that the proposal would be of limited benefit, in that it would not solve the illegal and inappropriate use of pre-paid mobile phones. A particular consideration was the ease with which an unregistered foreign or stolen SIM card can be used and the difficulties that would be posed in verifying identity in the absence of a national identification card system.