Debate lost in ‘rushing roulette’

WHILE the Government is to be commended for speedily closing the loophole in the child-protection law, which exposes vulnerable children to sexual predators, the worrying aspect of the latest legal crisis is that emergency legislation is once again being rushed through the Oireachtas.

The dangers involved in ramming laws through the Dáil and Seanad without allowing time for reasoned debate have already been highlighted in these editorial columns. In the Government’s undue haste to introduce emergency legislation, it abolished the offence of soliciting or importuning a child for sexual purposes.

By cutting short Dáil debate last summer, at the height of the furore over the statutory rape loophole, the Coalition put children at risk. With an election looming, the Government has moved swiftly to remedy the situation. But the brevity of Dáil debate remains a matter of concern.