Fianna Fáil reaction: Fianna Fáil TDs have expressed grave concerns about the Government's lack of speed in dealing with the Supreme Court's statutory rape ruling.
None of those who spoke to The Irish Times yesterday were prepared to publicly criticise Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.
Privately, however, the mood towards Mr McDowell was more negative, with many Fianna Fáil TDs quick to point out that a Fianna Fáil Minister would be facing calls to resign in similar circumstances.
Inundated by protests from angry constituents, one Leinster deputy, reflecting the views of a large number of colleagues, said: "The political problem is that they say that they are blaming Michael McDowell, but they are also saying that they are going to take it out on us."
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown TD Barry Andrews said the Government must move quickly to close the loophole.
"We must deal with the minimal issue first by putting in a defence of 'honest mistake', and deal with the wider issues later on." .
However, he said he did not believe Fianna Fáil colleagues were singling out Mr McDowell for blame. "Most people find it hard to understand the complexities that are there. It is a very technical issue."
He said the Government could not have stopped this week's release of the man who pleaded guilty to the statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl even if it had enacted new legislation a year ago when the Supreme Court first considered the issue.
"We could not have dealt with the statutory rape issue because there was no way of knowing what the Supreme Court would do."
Dublin North West TD Pat Carey said he believed the Government would now move to close the immediate loophole.
"I think it is a great pity that it wasn't done earlier. A lot of damage has been suffered."
He had received "a steady flow" of telephone calls from constituents and political supporters.
"They are not rabble-rousers. They are very upset and concerned at the lack of action by the Government.
"They are blaming Michael McDowell, but they are also saying that they are going to take it out on Fianna Fáil."
Longford-Westmeath TD Donie Cassidy said he believed the Dáil should sit on Friday "or over the weekend" to deal with the crisis. This must be handled with extreme urgency. "I would be prepared to sit all night to deal with it."
The party leader in the Seanad, Mary O'Rourke, said the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party was extremely concerned about the implications for child safety.
"The moral outrage is felt just as much in Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats as it is in other parties. Everyone felt that they were in the dark.
"The general feeling is that there are wider questions to be dealt with but the immediate loophole can be dealt with quickly," she told The Irish Times.
