SEANAD REPORT: The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, pledged that any resources that were needed to counter and detect cases of child abuse would be made available to the Garda.

He also signalled possible significant changes in local policing and in the licensing of public houses.

While stating that the growth in the consumption of alcohol could not be attributed solely to longer opening hours, the Minister said he was sympathetic to the notion that there should be some role for local councils in determining licensing hours in their areas.

It could well be that authorities in some areas would want to have later hours than others would.

"It seems to me that it would not be such a terrible thing if local authorities were to be given a significant role in deciding what the times of opening for various kinds of premises in their areas was to be.

"I feel it's very easy to think of a small rural town which wants to close down and does not want its youth hanging around its chippers at 3 and 4 in the morning. Just as in the gaming and lotteries business, the amusement arcades were left to the discretion of local authorities to decide."

The Minister said he was also anxious to examine the possibility of having local police partnerships on a statutory basis.

There was considerable disquiet at times among local authority members that their relationship with the gardaí, which was sometimes good and sometimes not so good, was based on inequality.