Hazel Nolan (19) Former President of the Union of Secondary School Students

I REALLY don't think there should be such debate about whether a person is 16 or 17, because to be honest, it doesn't make any difference. Most young people don't know what the age of consent is, and couldn't care less. Debating whether a 16- or a 17-year-old is more mature doesn't make sense because it depends on the individual.

From a legal point of view, the age of consent should be the same age as a person is allowed to vote, because they are both adult decisions and should be considered equally. And they should both be lower than 18.

The government needs to concentrate on sex education in schools instead of debating age of consent. At the moment it's a joke, only given to teenagers when they're 16 or 17, when some students are already pregnant. It's a bit late then.

George Hook Radio Presenter

I HAVE two opinions on the matter. As a father of two grown-up girls, I think I would have found it very difficult to know my 16-year-old was legally able to have sex. But the real issue for me is to do with older men and women taking advantage of young people. I would raise the age of consent in that case to 18-years-old, because if they're not ready to vote, they're not ready to have sex with an older person, who could well be predatory.

However, when it comes to young teenagers having sex with each other, I don't think we should criminalise them. To jail a 17-year-old boy for having sex with a 16-year-old girl is ludicrous. If two 14-year-olds are having sex . . . yes, we have a problem. But that won't be solved by criminalising them and you can't stop young people having sex. It is older people taking advantage of these youngsters who should be targeted.

Aobhinn Ni Shuilleabhain (23) Former Rose of Tralee

I THINK if the government wants to change the age of sexual consent to 16, then that's fair enough.

If it's 17 at the moment, it's not really a huge difference. But at the same time, I think they should put supports in place.

The morning-after pill should be more easily available to teenagers who may need it, as well as contraception. In England, all contraception is free if you go to your local health clinic and it makes really good sense.

The same should be happening in Ireland. Lowering the age of consent should not be done without making sure the right supports are available. The two should go hand in hand.

Ian Dempsey Radio Presenter

I THINK the age of consent should be put down to 16. To be honest, I think that teenagers will do whatever they want to do and it won't really make a difference.

I was listening to the debate about it on Prime Time and it just left me with the impression that we're fighting a losing battle. There's no point in holding onto old ways.

As the father of a 16-year-old son, I think that they are mature enough at that age to be able to make their own mind up. I also think it's important that the age of consent is equal for both girls and boys. Sixteen is fairly mature and it doesn't strike me that there is any real difference between them and 17-year-olds.

Besides, like I say, I don't think lowering the age of consent is going to make a huge difference to the situation as far as teenagers are concerned.

Noel Jennings (18) Terenure, Dublin

I think the age of consent should definitely be 16, because it really doesn't make any difference what age you are. Teenagers are still going to have sex no matter what the law says.

It's like smoking and drinking, you're not likely to get into that much trouble with the law, even if you are caught. You could be 12 years old and still doing it and it wouldn't make a difference. All my friends were at it by the time they were 16 anyway, so I don't see why the law should be 17.

There's not that much difference in the ages, but you're definitely mature enough by the time you're 16. It's all a bit pointless really. I don't know any teenagers who take the age of consent thing seriously. They just do it when they want to and when they feel they're ready.

Donal Murphy (18) Templeogue, Dublin

I think the law should be kept at 17. It's worked well enough up until now and I don't see any benefits from making it 16. If they do lower the age of consent once, then they're likely to do it again.

So if the government makes it 16, within 10 years people will probably be pushing for it to be 15. You have to draw the line somewhere. If you give them an inch, they'll take a mile. All the same, I don't know if many people actually know what the age of consent is. It's not put out there like drinking and smoking rules are. So there's a lot of confusion about when it really is and if there is a different one for boys and girls. Really, the age of consent should be the same as the age you vote at, so that should be lowered to 17. It doesn't make sense being able to do one and not the other.

Nicola Fields (26) Trim, Co Meath

I think it should be kept at the age it is, or even better, it should be brought up to 18. You don't legally become an adult until then, so why should you be able to have sex then? It sends out the wrong message, to tell teenagers you can't vote and you can't drink, but you can have sex. That just doesn't make sense. Then there's the problem of older men being criminalised for having sex with teenagers.

You can see it from one point of view, but for a young guy who genuinely believes the girl is over-age, it's very hard. Are they supposed to ask every girl under the age of 25 for ID if they want to have sex? You see girls in the pub who might only be 15 but they look like they're 30. It's easy to see how a mistake can be made.

Marie Connor (23) Lucan, Co Dublin

17 should continue to be the age of consent because if you start making it any younger, you're giving out the wrong idea. Teenagers will do whatever they want anyway, so why make it any easier for them? When you think about it, the age of consent is a bit silly. You can't really set down what age a person is ready to have sex at. It all depends on the person. Still, I suppose it's important to have a guideline and that should be kept at 17. When you think of people that age, boys are much more immature than girls. A 16 year-old lad isn't at all ready for that kind of thing, even if he thinks he is. When you look at teen pregnancies, the boys will say they are too young and not ready for a baby.

Then they get to slip out of taking any responsibility.