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The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD, today published the Scheme of a Bill to create a criminal offence of withholding information relating to the commission of arrestable offences, including sexual offences, against a child or a vulnerable adult.  The Government has approved the drafting of the Bill as a matter of priority.  Drafting is already at an advanced stage.

Under this legislation, a person will be guilty of an offence if he or she knows that an arrestable offence has been committed against a child or vulnerable adult, has information that would be of material assistance and fails without reasonable excuse to disclose that information as soon as it is practicable to a member of the Garda Síochána.  The legislation will also include safeguarding provisions to ensure that the person who is the victim of the offence or any person under 18 or who is a vulnerable adult cannot be prosecuted with the offence of withholding information.  "Arrestable offence" means an offence which may be punished by imprisonment for a term of five years or more. 

The Minister expects this Bill to be particularly useful in ensuring that serious offences against children will be reported to the Gardaí for investigation.  It is his intention to have this legislation enacted as a matter of urgency, with the co-operation of both Houses of the Oireachtas.