The Cabinet will today clear the way for a State inquiry into child sex abuse allegations against priests in the Dublin Catholic archdiocese dating back over 30 years.
However, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell has decided not to launch an inquiry along the lines of the one in Ferns into every other Catholic diocese.
Instead, the inquiry will be asked to make sure that all Catholic dioceses are abiding by rules agreed by the Catholic Bishops' Advisory Committee on Child Sexual Abuse by Priests and Religious nearly 10 years ago.
Dioceses, other than the Dublin archdiocese, found to be in breach of the 1996 regulations will be investigated more deeply if they are subsequently "red flagged" by the Minister of State for Children, Brian Lenihan. However, no past allegations will be examined for now in dioceses outside of the Dublin archdiocese by the inquiry, which will be probably headed by a retired High Court judge.
In Dublin, the inquiry will select a "representative sample" of child sex abuse allegations made against priests in the Dublin archdiocese between January 1st, 1975 and May 1st, 2004.
The cases will be selected on the grounds that "strong and clear suspicion" existed at the time that Dublin clergy had been involved in child sex abuse.
The inquiry will investigate "the nature of the response to those sample complaints or allegations on the part of the authorities to which those sample complaints or allegations were reported".
The terms of reference to be placed before the Cabinet today will also investigate whether there is evidence that clerics of any rank sought to block the proper investigation of the allegations when first made.
The inquiry will investigate pre-1975 cases but only in cases where a priest also faces allegations of abuse after January 1st, 1975, sources told The Irish Times last night.
The inquiry would establish the response of the archdiocese, the church and public and State authorities in the sample cases, along with the communication between all of the bodies.
The closing date for the inquiry, to be held under the Commissions of Investigation Act, 2004, will be decided within weeks, once the terms of reference have been approved by the Oireachtas.
Mr McDowell is required under the Act to publish the report after it is submitted to him, although deletions can be made in limited circumstances.