Solution sought to issue of abuse victim's legal costs

The State Claims Agency is expected to put a proposal tomorrow to lawyers for Louise O'Keeffe, whose failed civil case against the Department of Education left her liable to costs of up to €600,000.

The department was found not to be responsible for the sexual abuse Ms O'Keeffe suffered as a pupil in a Co Cork school. Minister for Education Mary Hanafin told the Dáil that "these are issues that happened long ago and while the State is not liable for what happened to Ms O'Keeffe, I do not want her to be under any further distress".

Ms Hanafin said she would ask "that the agency revert to my Department before implementing a decision in order to get our view on what the decision should be", in relation to costs.

The agency will today meet Department of Education officials and tomorrow will meet Ms O'Keeffe's lawyers.

Labour's education spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan said Ms O'Keeffe was still extremely worried about what the meeting would mean and "whether there is a danger she may lose her house and security for her children".

Ms Hanafin said the Government had made clear it wanted the case dealt with sympathetically.

She also said a survey would be sent to all primary schools to establish the "accurate most up-to-date information" about the implementation of the Stay Safe programme for school children.

"Unless there is a very good reasons why the programme should not be implemented in full, as soon as I receive the survey results I will be quite prepared to make the programme mandatory."

Fine Gael spokeswoman Olwyn Enright asked if the Minister had received responses from schools as to why they were not implementing the programme which aims to educate children about, and protect them from, abuse.

The Minister said that the "absence of real information is such that it makes the matter difficult for us to deal with".

Finian McGrath (Ind, Dublin North-Central) said that teachers faced serious risks when dealing with child abuse cases and "threats have been made against teachers in such cases".

Seán Crowe (SF, Dublin South-West) said it was a "positive step" that the representatives of the bishops' commission supported the programme. Ms Hanafin also welcomed the bishops' support.