Almost 3,000 former residents of industrial schools have sought their personal files from the Department of Education under the Freedom of Information Act. The volume of applications has resulted in major delays in the operation of the Act in the Department.
The number of people applying for their files gives an indication of how many people are likely to take legal action against the Government and the religious orders over their treatment at the schools.
If 3,000 people, or possibly more, eventually bring claims, the liability facing the State could be very large.
However, under a recent deal, the religious orders - represented by CORI - are indemnified for any costs beyond the €120 million they have agreed to pay the Government.
More than 2,900 people have applied for their files so far, but this is expected to rise considerably by the end of the year.
The group representing former residents, Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA), said yesterday that many of its members now had to wait up to six months to get their details.
Because of the delays and the traumatic nature of some of the material, the Department has asked the voluntary group, Barnardos, to assist in the process of passing on material.
The high number of applications means the Department of Education has become one of the busiest Government departments in relation to the Freedom of Information Act. Its officials are also handling the Residential Institutions Redress Bill, which deals with the issue of compensating victims. Because of the workload at the Department, freedom of information requests not relating to the industrial schools are now taking months to process, and this has come to the attention of the Information Commissioner, Mr Kevin Murphy.
Mr Jim Beresford, a leading member of SOCA in Britain, has been trying to get all his personal information since January 1999. "There just seems to be constant delays and the Department are using a whole range of exemptions not to disclose important information," he claimed.
Apart from personal reasons for seeking the information, victims need the files to prepare their legal cases.
According to the SOCA, about 2,000 people have initiated proceedings in the High Court in relation to child abuse at industrial schools.
A lot of the information being released is highly sensitive and some victims have been deeply upset by reading it. Some have found out things about their parents they previously did not know.
Because of its sensitivity and because the material often contains names of people who worked at industrial schools, some parts have been blacked out by Department officials.
However, groups such as SOCA say this practice is used too regularly and important personal information is also often blacked out. The Department is entitled under the Act to withhold or black out certain information.
For example, information which relates to the "deliberative process" can be withheld, as can information which the Department decides is covered by legal privilege.