The drafting of legislation on a sex offenders' register is in an advanced stage, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici has said in parliament in reply to a parliamentary question.

Questioned further, a spokesman for the ministry said this morning that the sex offenders' register would be part of a Serious Crimes Register.

He said that decisions still had to be taken at Cabinet level and it was therefore too early to give details, but the register would not be readily available to general public.

The law would limit access to particular sections of the register to interested parties and in some cases prior court approval would be necessary.

The Maltese Association of Social Workers in comments made more than a year ago, had argued that a sex offenders' register should not be limited to a name-and-shame-style list but should include information about potential victims and abusers.

Stressing the preventative role of the register, the association said it should contain information that contributes towards the protection and therapy of victims and offenders and the rehabilitation of abusers.

"The way the register is used, and who has access to its contents, is crucial to its success.

"Different parts of the information should be available to different people at different times," association president Anthea Agius had said.

Joe Gerada, the then chief executive officer of the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, said that he was in favour of the register, adding it should not be public but accessible to social agencies.

He cautioned against a false sense of security and urged professionals not to shirk from reporting child abuse cases "because the safety of children comes before confidentiality".