There was a report in the Irish Independent at the weekend that a young woman who suspected she had been raped in Dublin city while intoxicated is now facing criminal charges, potentially, for false reporting. Not only that but it has been decided that all the resources of the Irish State should go into dragging this woman back from France where she lives, via extradition. As we know, it is not unusual for intoxicated people to be attacked violently and not to recall all the details. The implications of this decision are huge. The number of sexual offences that are reported could not fall any lower and the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, routinely does not prosecute 67% of all sexual offences. For some incredible reason, the DPP and gardaí have decided to prosecute this woman. The message this would send to survivors who may have been drugged or intoxicated when they were attacked and might not remember all the details is incredible.

Thank you.

I hasten to add that nobody has been falsely accused or charged, so I do not see why this is happening. There will be a protest at the DPP's office at 1 p.m. on Friday against this.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I have not read the newspaper article she referred to or about the case she referenced so I do not want to make any inappropriate comment. As a Government, we seek to support any victim of sexual assault properly through policies and through the resourcing of our agencies and An Garda Síochána. I have not seen or read the detail the Deputy referenced, so I will not comment on it.