McDowell claims vindication

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell claimed he had been "vindicated" by the introduction of charges of sexual assault against six men, in the wake of the statutory rape controversy that provoked a child protection crisis.

Mr McDowell had previously insisted there was "no black hole" in the legislation, after a successful Supreme Court challenge against the constitutionality of statutory rape legislation, dating from 1935.

In the Dáil yesterday, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny referred to the introduction on Wednesday of charges of sexual assault against six men after the offences of unlawful carnal knowledge of young girls were dropped.

Mr Kenny asked the Tánaiste how many other similar cases there were.

Mr McDowell said that he did not want to comment on pending court proceedings, but "I ask the deputy to acknowledge at the least that yesterday's charges provided I was correct when I said there was no black hole in the law."

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent then asked what progress had been made on legislation for an all-Ireland register of people considered unsafe to work with children.

Mr McDowell said an Oireachtas committee considering child-protection issues was looking at the constitutionality of a register dealing with "soft information rather than simply with convictions".

Earlier, Mr McDowell told the Dáil that the Government would decide on additional Exchequer spending to aid the peace process once it studied the €79.3 billion British deal announced on Wednesday to underpin the St Andrews Agreement.

Mr Kenny asked when "the Irish Government will make a similar announcement" based on commitments in principle.

The Tánaiste replied that the Government would "make its intentions known with regard to additional new expenditure and infrastructural development to aid the peace process in Northern Ireland when it has had an opportunity to study the British package".