The Minister of State with responsibility for New Communities and Equality has said that more robust legislation is needed to deal with instances of hate crime.
Aodhán Ó Riordáin said the heads of a Bill are being prepared by a group of NGOs and other interested organisations.
He said they will be presented to him for consideration next May, and he will then present it to Government to get support.
His comments come after anti-Roma protests in Waterford city over the weekend.
A number of people including a number of children and elderly women had to be evacuated from their homes after more than 60 people gathered outside their house.
Those involved in the action said they were concerned about the involvement of some of the Roma community in crime.
An anti-racism rally took place in Waterford last night in reaction to the protests.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr Ó Riordáin said: "The issues in Waterford last week and other instances around the country have led me, as well as groups such as the ICCL (Irish Council for Civil Liberties), to believe that we need to have some focus on our hate crime legislation, or indeed our lack of hate crime legislation."
He said that although Ireland already has the Incitement to Hatred Act, he had come to the conclusion that more robust legislation was required.
He said the protest in Waterford, when windows were broken at a private residence, was akin to a "lynch mob".
"This goes deeper than just the Roma community. I think we have to have a situation in Ireland where we have legislation that underpins our society that has a threshold of decency under which people cannot descend," he said.
