A 48-year-old man who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will fly into Dublin from the UK this morning after a request that he give evidence before the Residential Institutions Redress Board by video link was ignored.
Mr Michael Clifford has alleged he was physically abused while at St Joseph's industrial school in Galway and that he was improperly referred to a mental hospital from there.
His brother Barry (47) told The Irish Times yesterday that they would be flying to Ireland from Coventry, where Michael is currently resident, to give evidence to the redress board today.
He said that a request that the board pay Michael an interim €10,000 was ignored as well. Expenses surrounding the brothers' trip to Ireland today is being paid for by the redress board.
Mr Barry Clifford is also seeking compensation from the redress board following alleged physical and sexual abuse at St Joseph's.
He accused the board of ignoring his brother's requests. "The taxpayers can breathe easy," he said of the board's handling of the case.
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