A new bill published today allows electronic tagging of sex-criminals to be introduced, for the first time.
It would also allow the Gardaí to tell a member of the public if a convicted criminal lives nearby.
Minister Helen McEntee says however this option could only be used in specific circumstances:
"We don't want to incite an entire community, which in itself can cause problems- It drives the individual who's on the register to ground. You then have a situation where the Gardaí or probation services possibly can't monitor them. But if you have somebody who's on the register, they started a relationship, the person during the relationship with has children, and the reason that they were in prison is because they abused a child. Do we feel that there is a risk to this person and to their child or children? Do we tell them?"
