The UK has delayed the introduction of new age verification checks for online porn.

The news could affect Irish plans to restrict children's access to porn in the wake of the Ana Kriegel trial.

Speaking the Dáil yesterday, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the government would learn from what happened in the UK while drafting legislation here.

He said the Justice Minister would seek a report from Westminster on the legislation after it had been in place for 12 months.

07/05/2019. National Broadband Plan. Pictured is Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaking at a press conference approving the next step forward to Broadband for rural Ireland. Photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

The UK Plans will force anyone visiting pornographic websites to prove they are over the age of 18.

Simply ticking a box or entering a date of birth will no longer be enough however - with new age verification tools expected to ask for a range of personal details, from names, addresses and dates-of-birth to financial information.

Speaking in the House of Commons this morning, the UK Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright said the plans would be postponed following an error in his department.

He said officials had failed to notify the EU about a key component of the bill - adding that it would now take a further six months to bring in the new laws.

"I recognise that many members of this house and many members beyond it have campaigned passionately for age verification to come into force as soon as possible to ensure children are protected from pornographic material they should not see," he said.

"I apologise to them all for the fact that a mistake was made which means these measures will not be brought into force as soon as they and I would like.

"But there are also those who do not want these measures to be brought in at all.

"So let me make it very clear that although my statement is an apology for delay, it is not a change of policy or a lessening of this government's determination to bring these changes about.

"Age verification for online pornography needs to happen and I believe it is the clear will of the House and those we represent that it should - and in the clear interests of our children that it must."

The plans have been condemned by privacy experts who have warned that asking private companies to create age-verification tools will open the door to data leaks, blackmail and the increased sale of private information for use in advertising.

The Open Rights Group, which campaigns for digital freedom, said the new laws could lead to porn companies building huge databases of the UKs porn habits.

Campaigners have also warned that the laws leave the door wide open to hackers who could create fake verification portals to steal users' credit card information.