Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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459. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the procedures in place to ensure full compliance with the sex offenders register, in particular when an offender fails to notify gardaí of their current address; if he will confirm whether an alert has been issued in relation to a person (details supplied); and the enforcement mechanisms that exist to ensure immediate action in such cases. [53811/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Keeping our communities safe is my foremost priority as Minister. While I cannot comment on individual cases, I would like to assure the Deputy that there are a range of provisions in law and in practice in relation to the management of sex offenders after they’ve been released from prison.

The Sex Offenders (Amendment) Act 2023, which was commenced in 2023, strengthened our already robust system for monitoring sex offenders and provides for changes to the notification requirements for sex offenders, including a reduction of the notification period from seven to three days.

A person convicted of an offence set out in the schedule of the Sex Offenders Act 2001 now has to notify An Garda Síochána:

• of their name and address within three days of leaving prison;
• of any change to their name or address within three days;
• if they are going to be outside the State for more than three days;
• if they are returning to the State having been outside it for three days;
• if they are at an address in the State for three days and that address has not been notified to AGS;
• or every 12 months if they had not notified within the previous 12 months.

The Programme for Government commits to implement electronic monitoring for appropriate categories of offenders. Work is underway to operationalise electronic monitoring in line with existing legislative provisions. It is intended to go tender for an electronic monitoring provider this year.

Breaches of the Act are a criminal offence which can result in a further jail term.

Where An Garda Síochána believe that a convicted offender poses a serious and imminent risk to the public, an application can also be made to the courts for a Sex Offender Order under section 16 of the 2001 Act. A Sex Offender Order can prohibit the offender from doing anything the Court considers necessary, in order to ensure that the public is protected from serious harm. The Act also provides that a Court can impose conditions on a convicted sex offender as part of their post-release supervision, where a judge has included this as part of sentencing.

In addition, Sex Offender Risk Assessment and Management (SORAM) operates to support enhanced levels of co-operation and co-ordination between key statutory organisations involved in managing the risk posed to the community by convicted sex offenders and safeguarding the welfare of children.

The Garda National Protective Services Bureau has a dedicated unit, the Sex Offender Management and Intelligence Unit, which has oversight and monitoring responsibility at national level for the management of registered sex offenders who are subject to notification requirements.