Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1138 and 1139 together.

The Deputy will be aware that in February 2022 Ireland submitted its Fifth and Sixth State Report under the Convention to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva. The report is publicly available on the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth's website, a link to the relevant page is included below. The report is also available on the UN Human Rights Treaty Body Database.

www.gov.ie/en/publication/a1481d-united-nations-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child/.

The State Report responds to a List of Issues provided by the UN Committee to Ireland in November 2020, as such the content is dictated by the issues on which the Committee has requested information. The List of Issues Prior to Reporting did not include reference to the Second Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography; therefore there is no reference to the issue in the State Report.

The Government continues to be strongly committed to the ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. I understand that officials in the Department of Justice are giving due consideration to legislative requirements to ensure that Ireland is in compliance with the obligations of the Optional Protocol and that there is engagement with the Office of the Attorney General on this matter.