Dempsey tells meeting of survivor groups that Government no longer considering sample cases
Patsy McGarry,
Religious Affairs
Correspondent
Sampling is no longer being considered by the Government as a method of investigating the abuse of children in residential institutions.
It was not on the table for now, the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, told survivor groups yesterday and in the longer term it might not be necessary, he said. Mr Dempsey also sought the groups' views on the possibility of a meeting among themselves, the relevant religious orders and the Department.
There is to be a three-hour debate in the Dáil next Wednesday on the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse.
Yesterday's meeting, which began at 11 a.m. at the Department of Education, continued until about 1.20 p.m. It was attended by two representatives each from the Alliance, Aislinn, Right of Place and the SOCA (UK) groups.
With the Minister was the Department assistant secretary, Mr Peter Baldwin; its director of strategic planning, Mr Tom Boland; and Mr Paul Kennedy and Ms Maria Grogan of its Residential Institute Redress section.
Mr Dempsey agreed in principle that a letter would be sent by the commission to all 1,700 applicants to its investigation committee to see whether they still wished to pursue an investigation into their abuse or whether they would prefer to opt for a suggested new strand to the confidential committee.
It has been proposed that the commission be given powers to subpoena accused people to appear before the confidential committee, where they might be confronted in private by their accuser(s) with no lawyers present. There would be no obligation on the accused person to answer allegations.
It was suggested by Aislinn that some survivors would be satisfied to confront just a representative of the relevant religious order.
Three survivor groups felt that accused members of religious orders who had died should be named in any final report from the commission, with Right of Place insisting the emphasis should be on dealing with the living rather than dead accused.
The survivor group representatives were generally positive about the meeting. A spokesman for Right of Place said they believed Mr Dempsey was taking the matter "very, very seriously" and were "never under any other illusion". Mr Tom Hayes of Alliance said he had left the meeting feeling optimistic.
Ms Christine Buckley of Aislinn, who refused to attend a meeting with Department officials on September 15th, felt Mr Dempsey listened yesterday and welcomed his assurance that whatever module was agreed for a reformed commission, adequate funding and personnel would be made available to it.
She also wished it recorded that she would not comment on one matter discussed at the meeting, as she had given her word not to do so.
Mr Mick Wates of SOCA (UK) believed things were "getting somewhere" at last.