Education Minister Norma Foley has assured victims of school sexual abuse that a commission to investigate the incidents will be established swiftly. This decision comes amid governmental ambiguity regarding the next steps that should be taken following the release of a report by Mary O’Toole, a distinguished barrister, concerning child abuse in the educational system. The report exposes nearly 2,400 accounts of mistreatment across over 300 different schools.
Ms Foley has endeavoured to keep the victims’ concerns at the heart of subsequent procedures post-publication of this alarming study. The government is committed to launching an inquiry commission, and although no final call has been made regarding compensation for survivors, the general consensus within the Coalition is that it is likely to follow.
Recognising the urgency of the situation, Ms Foley is keen to establish this board quickly. A team of high-ranking officials, supported by the Office of the Attorney General, has already been assembled to begin the groundwork required. The Minister assured survivors in a recent letter that despite the intricate nature of establishing such an investigation, it will be done rapidly and diligently. Recommendations in the report, including compensation, memorialisation and child protection, will all be under consideration by this team.
Although the final list of members for the group has not yet been confirmed, the department is eager to advance swiftly into the subsequent phase with a gathering planned in the near future. The group is expected to deliberate on the enquiry’s expenses, with indications that the government instructed the group on Tuesday to draw up a cost projection.
Prof Conor O’Mahony, a former child protection rapporteur, suggested that the government might contemplate modifying the law to enable abuse survivors in educational institutions to institute legal proceedings against religious bodies. His proposal is part of a strategy to promote the church’s contribution to rehabilitation schemes. This possibility was also indirectly hinted at by a high-ranking government official.
O’Mahony, a professor at University College Cork’s Law School, communicated that a temporary modification to the statute of limitations might allow survivors – some of whom are unable to initiate a lawsuit due to the lengthy period since the alleged wrongdoing – to bring their case to court. He highlighted that the expenditure related to defending and settling numerous civil lawsuits could outweigh the cost of contributing to a compensation scheme, serving as a wake-up call for religious bodies.
He further added that if the government intents to create an uneasy situation for the religious orders, an intriguing approach would be to introduce an exception permitting individuals to take legal action against them, should they wish to do so.