The Labour Party has accused the Government of a 'grievous omission' which has resulted in the law prohibiting the soliciting of minors for sex being inadvertently repealed.Labour claims that the offence no longer exists under Irish law because of legislation introduced last summer at the height of the controversy over statutory rape.
The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has said he will introduce emergency legislation if it is necessary.
Mr McDowell said the matter had not been brought to his attention, but that to his knowledge the gardaí had a legislative basis to continue with their current inquiry into an alleged paedophile ring in north Dublin.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte claimed the offence of soliciting or importuning a child for sex had been contained in the Children Act 2001 but that it had related to specific offences.
These were later repealed and replaced by new ones in emergency legislation rushed through last summer, Mr Rabbitte said.
Labour's Spokesperson on Justice, Brendan Howlin, accused Mr McDowell of rushing complicated legislation through the Dáil without adequately examining its implications.
Mr McDowell said his department was investigating the situation and if it transpired the offence had been repealed he would restore it at once in the criminal justice package which he is preparing.
He conceded such a law could not have retrospective effect but maintained the gardaí had other legal remedies available to them if that created a difficulty.
Civil servant suspended in alleged abuse case
A civil servant who was questioned by gardaí investigating the alleged abuse of a 14-year-old in north Dublin by a number of men has been suspended from duty.
The man, who works as an official at the Chief State Solicitor's Office in Dublin, was interviewed at his place of work by gardaí who went to the office last Tuesday.
He is the fourth person to be questioned along with a probationer garda who has been suspended, and a language teacher and a truck driver who were both arrested.
The investigation into the alleged abuse began after the boy's mother discovered inappropriate texts on his mobile phone and brought him to Coolock Garda Station where detectives took a detailed statement from him.
Detectives at the incident room in Swords are now working to identify all the men who contacted the boy after he logged onto a gay website.
Gardaí examining the boy's phone records have to separate the normal and innocent texts and calls from his friends and relations from the more sinister and inappropriate ones.
They then have to establish who made those calls and interview them. Some of the men used code names or first names only. So far four suspects have been identified and questioned - two of them had physical contact with the boy.
Gardaí believe the four do have a case to answer and that between six and 12 men, some of whom they are still trying to trace, could have had a sexual interest in the child.
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