Madam, - Michael McDowell, John O'Donoghue, Nora Owen, Maire Geoghegan Quinn, Pádraig Flynn and Ray Burke have all held the office of Justice minister since 1989. Can someone please explain to me how all of them managed to not deal with the Law Reform Commission's warning about the flaw in such an important part of our criminal justice system?
Likewise, how have past Attorneys General not only failed to press the Cabinet to deal with this problem but have continued to make use of this flawed statue?
As usual, we the people were left to pick up the pieces left by our incompetent public servants. Apart from the terrible prospects of convicted predators and deviants being released from our prisons, we were also left with the possibility of these same predators and deviants taking legal actions and claiming damages from the State!
Perhaps we have only ourselves to blame. After all we elect our public servants; but at least in the case of Messrs McDowell and O'Donoghue, we will have the opportunity to correct that mistake next year. I would urge all of the electorate to do so. - Yours, etc,
JIM HERON, The Belvedere, Glebemount, Wicklow Town.
Madam, - What does talk about "age of consent" mean to adolescents? In many cases it means fear of prosecution and nothing else. When the legal age has been reached it is looked on as "the green light".
Peer pressure to "have it" is enormous. Youngsters may well be afraid to say No to what seems to be a rite of passage. They believe that all there is to it is use of a condom. When the moment comes, that, too, may be omitted - or may fail.
But the whole subject has much deeper significance than parents feel able to explain. Many parents are unable to discuss the matter in any depth with their teenagers. Are we doing anything to enable parents to have such conversations with young people from early adolescence?
I have in mind a set of DVDs for use with groups of parents. Made in Ireland, they would be true to our situation. Any takers? - Yours, etc,
ANGELA MacNAMARA, Lower Kilmacud Road, Dublin 14.