A package of measures, including a register of sex offenders and a law to allow some rape victims to be represented in court, is to be unveiled later this week by the Minister for Justice.
The register will include all kinds of sex offenders and is expected to meet the demands of groups such as the Rape Crisis Centre which have lobbied for a wider register than one confined to paedophiles.
It was not clear last night precisely who will be allowed access to the register, but it will provide a means for gardai to monitor the movements of listed offenders.
The Minister, Mr O'Donoghue, has previously expressed a preference for the type of register introduced in Britain. This allows schools, police and local authorities to be alerted to the arrival of a convicted paedophile in their area after prison release.
An Irish register may also help to resolve the difficulties faced by voluntary Irish childcare organisations which have recently been unable to get prospective volunteers cleared by the Garda because of difficulties arising from the Data Protection Act.
While the register of sex offenders will be welcomed by some organisations concerned with children, others can be expected to point out that the register represents only a small step in dealing with sex offences.
Only a minority of paedophiles and heterosexual men who sexually abuse children are convicted.
The Cabinet yesterday also gave clearance to preparation of a Bill allowing rape victims representation in court in some circumstances. Under existing legislation, a rape victim is witness for a prosecution and is not allowed representation at the trial.
It is understood that, under the new law, legal representation will be allowed where the accused seeks to have the previous sexual history of the claimant introduced in the trial.
"We will introduce legislation to allow a barrister to represent the claimant in these circumstances. It is as far as the Government can go at the moment," said one source.
The decision to allow rape victims to have separate representation where their sexual history is to be raised is an attempt to meet fears that a general right of representation would be unconstitutional. The fears were raised by officials of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in a document prepared for the Government last year.