The Department of Justice is to publish a discussion document on sex offences this month. The document will seek submissions on the establishment of a register of sex offenders. The Department expects a register to be in place within six months.

In December the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, said he wanted a paedophile register, after reports that convicted British paedophiles were coming to the Republic to evade the British system.

A Department spokesman this week confirmed that a decision has been made to set up a register. The discussion document will raise issues of access and the type of offender to be included.

A register has been supported as one prevention measure by the ISPCC and the Rape Crisis Centre (RCC). However, the RCC has called on the Minister to include all sex offenders on the register, rather than restricting it to paedophiles.

Critics have said the register would only identify convicted offenders.

The discussion document will also deal with the issue of separate representation for rape victims and possible supervision of those released after sentences for serious sex offences.

Under the supervision of the Probation and Welfare Service, offenders could be prevented from living in the same area as their victim, obliged to enter treatment programmes or live in a "halfway house situation" for a period after their release.