Child protection was paramount during two independent inquiries in Tuam archdiocese concerning allegations of child sex abuse against a teacher there who was later appointed a school principal, a spokesman for the archdiocese said last night.
He was responding to a newspaper report yesterday that a teacher in the archdiocese was promoted to school principal despite having previously faced serious allegations of child sex abuse.
"This situation has been assessed by the Department of Education and Science, through the medium of an independent inquiry and by the relevant board of management," the spokesman said.
"The archbishop believes that considerations of child protection have been paramount throughout the work of these two responsible bodies in the matter."
An INTO spokesman said last night there were "clear procedures and structures in place to deal with allegations of abuse.
"The 'Children First' guidelines . . . detail the procedures to be followed by boards where an allegation of abuse is made against a school employee."
The priority was to ensure no child is exposed to risk, he said.
A Department of Education statement said "the employment of a teacher/principal of a national school is a matter for the authorities of the school concerned including checking references and contacting former employers where appropriate.
However, the department's position is that the person being investigated should not have access to children while the investigation is going on.