The Minister for Justice has expressed concern at the increase in rapes. Last year, Mr O'Donoghue said, there was a 40 per cent increase on the previous year, with 256 rape offences reported.

"The indications are that the number of rapes recorded this year will show a further increase. Like every other member of the House, I am very concerned with the increasing trend in the number of reported rapes."

The Minister said there seemed to be a greater willingness by the victim to report rape, some of which might be due to the more sympathetic climate for reporting such crimes.

The Garda Siochana was continuing its research and proposed to examine all recorded rapes for 1996, with the focus on the experiences of victims.

The Garda would also try to quantify the attrition rate at each stage from reporting a case to its outcome, and to suggest how the processing of cases might be improved, particularly relating to Garda practice, Mr O'Donoghue added.

He was concerned there were victims who did not report rape cases to the Garda, and his Department had commissioned a research project to be undertaken jointly by the applied social studies section in UCC and the Cork Rape Crisis Centre.

Mr O'Donoghue said research based on the 1994-97 period showed offenders were known, to some extent, to the victims in 87 per cent of cases. The term "date rape" was subject to a high degree of subjectivity and variability, as was the victim-offender relationship which could range from friend to acquaintance to stranger.

Garda research estimated 11 per cent of rapes occurred in circumstances where the victim began the day in the company of the offender or where they joined company during the day.

Urged by the Fine Gael spokesman on justice, Mr Jim Higgins, to make "date rape" a specific offence, the Minister said rape was a criminal offence, irrespective of when it was committed. "Rape is still rape and as such carries very severe penalties."

The crime was regarded so seriously, he added, that, with murder, it could be tried only in the Central Criminal Court. He did not believe the introduction of a new offence of "date rape" would make any difference because the heavy penalty covered all kinds of rape.

Arguing that there should be a specific legal term covering "date rape," Mr Higgins said: "Unfortunately, it is a real and regular feature of weekend happenings in particular. I have been contacted by members of the Garda who have been investigating such distressing happenings after weekends."

An even more regular feature was where drinks were being spiked by Rohypnol, a drug which took effect within 20 minutes.

It was 10 times stronger than Valium and the tablets were, in theory, legally available only on prescription, although they could now be obtained on the black market.

He said the medical and pharmaceutical organisations should be asked to carry out an investigation on how Rohypnol was falling into the wrong hands.

The manufacturers should be obliged to add some colouring agent to ensure the drug would be easily visible and detectable when put in a drink.

Consideration should also be given to adding a taste ingredient.

"Something must be done to stamp out what is a frightening and growing development." It was difficult, said Mr Higgins, to prove in court that a drink had been spiked by the drug because the victim suffered total amnesia while under its influence.

Mr O'Donoghue said he would take the matter up with the Minister for Health and Children.

Replying to Mr Charles Flanagan (FG, Laois-Offaly), the Minister said he was aware the application of the statutes of limitation in cases of sexual abuse of children had been the subject of recent comment in the media, including the legal press.