Sexual offences review
Deputy Connolly complained that the legally required review of section 4 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act had not been carried out on time. The Taoiseach said he would ask the Minister for Justice to update the Deputy directly.
Once again, I raise the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act that was passed by the House six years ago and that came into operation in March 2017. The Government is legally obliged to carry out a review of section 4 of that legislation. It was legally obliged to carry out that review within three years, which would have been March 2020. Three years and three months later, there is no sign of it. I have raised this matter more than once in the Dáil. Where is the review? I ask because research carried out by the University of Limerick and Amnesty International shows that the legislation has made sex workers more vulnerable and more open to violence.