“Inappropriate” was the word used by critics to describe the Government’s proposal to set the age of digital consent at 13 years.

Opposition parties united today to defeat the Government's proposal to set the digital age of consent at 13.

The Oireachtas justice committee has decided the age of digital consent shall be set at 13 years and not 16.

Calls from Opposition TDs to increase the digital age of consent to 16 have suffered a setback this afternoon.

The Ombudsman for Children Dr Niall Muldoon has said that he is very concerned at Opposition parties' call to raise the digital age of consent to 16 years.