Solicitor 'sceptical' of apologies

Lawyers representing the victims of abuse at industrial schools have expressed doubt over the sincerity of apologies issued by religious orders to their victims.

Mr James McGuill, a solicitor speaking on behalf of law firms representing some 1,700 victims, yesterday told the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse that some religious orders had issued such general apologies it was difficult to identify what exactly they were apologising for.

"We would be very sceptical of them.

"The orders have failed to make apologies in any individual cases, and you would have to ask are they trying to escape findings against them," he said.

The commission's chairman, Mr Justice Sean Ryan SC, yesterday invited submissions from the victims' legal firms on his proposals to overhaul how the commission works.

He is proposing that the right to investigate and identify individual abusers in the final report be removed so that the work of the Investigation Committee of the commission can proceed.

Mr Justice Ryan's proposal was made to a public meeting of victims and other interested parties earlier this month. It followed seven months of work by the Investigation Committee, which he took over, along with the commission, when Ms Justice Laffoy suspended its work last September and resigned.

Mr McGuill said while many victims were not against the proposed changes, a large number were still in favour of having their individual cases heard. If it was decided that no individual cases would be investigated it may prevent the full truth about the schools ever emerging.

If a lot of cases were thoroughly examined it may reveal the "systematic manner" of abuse at some schools, and how "people right up the ranks knew about it and that it was not just one or two bad apples".

"If it becomes a very generalised inquiry then we may be in danger of reaching a conclusion which states that industrial schools were a bad idea." He added that many former residents of the schools were anxious that this would not happen.

The non-co-operation with the commission by some religious orders accused of abuse had held up the commission's work for a number of years.

This should not now be rewarded with a new commission which would not apportion blame, said Mr McGuill.