Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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113. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she has had contact with her Northern Ireland counterpart with regard to the confirmed reports of the way the provisional movement dealt with complaints of sexual abuse; her views on concerns surrounding the possibility of abusers being moved south of the Border; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43784/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy's Question arises in the context of recent allegations of the rape and sexual abuse of a young woman in Northern Ireland, and her subsequent mistreatment at the hands of members of Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA. It is obviously a very difficult story for her to tell and I admire her bravery in telling it publicly. It is a pity that those who have questions to answer in relation to her mistreatment have acted in stark contrast, evading and distorting.

I have spoken about the issues arising with my Northern Ireland counterpart, Justice Minister David Ford, and we will be discussing the matter further later this week in the context of a ministerial meeting in the framework of North-South co-operation on criminal justice matters to see whether there are any additional actions that we might usefully consider.

Whatever the circumstances, it is never easy for victims of rape and sexual abuse to come forward with their complaints and to speak out, and when they do they deserve to be listened to and to be treated with sensitivity and respect. Victims of abuse in this jurisdiction can report sexual offences to the Garda Síochána who have clear and long-standing guidelines in place for dealing with such complaints which are strongly focused on adopting a sensitive approach to the complainant. The Gardaí will investigate any complaints of sexual offences reported to them where it is in their jurisdiction to do so, and they work closely with the health and other social services and with services such as the Rape Crisis Centre in dealing with such complaints.

In this jurisdiction there is 24-hour helpline for victims of sexual violence which is operated by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre that is staffed by highly trained people. There are also a range of other numbers available where one can speak to some of the fifteen other rape crisis centres around the country. Victims can find contact details and information for can be found at . I encourage any victims of sexual violence to use these avenues to come forward.

It is not now nor has it ever been acceptable for anyone to seek to suppress the reporting of sexual offences to the appropriate authorities or to seek to protect rapists or sex abusers. Whenever these brutal crimes occur they need to be investigated thoroughly and in accordance with the law. The Deputy clearly shares my concern at the grave implications of abusers not being reported to the authorities but instead having been moved elsewhere. It is imperative that any person or organisation which has information about persons who might pose risks to children passes on that information to the authorities who will pursue it fully.

I understand that the Garda authorities have had some relevant matters reported to them and they are pursuing these and it will be appreciated that it would not be appropriate to go into any detail in respect of these matters which are subject to investigation.