A judge in the Court of Appeal has highlighted the need for rehabilitation for sex offenders. 

Mr Justice Alan Mahon made the comments when sentencing a man for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy "within hours" after completing a six-year sentence.

Denis Naughten is Independent TD for Roscommon-South Leitrim. He says rehabilitation for sex offenders in prison is not mandatory.

"In the last two years, 321 prisoners have been released - of those 46 have participated in a sex offender's programme" he told Newstalk Breakfast.

A Department of Justice review back in 2009 recommended that sex offenders should not be eligible for early release unless they have participated in one of these programmes.

"The big obstacle here is that the Department of Justice back in 2009 published a review of the sex offenders legislation...and we're still waiting for the revised legislation to be brought through the Dáil" Mr Naughten said.

"What I'm proposing is to close off some of the gaping holes within the sex offenders legislation".

"To reduce the registration period from seven days back to three days, to make a condition that you must come to your local garda station, that you can be fingerprinted, to answer direct questions that the gardaí put regarding your movements and whereabouts".

"That could actually be brought into law by the end of this year, if the political will was there to do so" he added.