Files on more than 60,000 people who spent time in State industrial and reformatory schools are held by the Department of Education and Science, The Irish Times has learned.
The large number gives some indication of the amount of work which will face the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, chaired by Ms Justice Mary Laffoy of the High Court.
The Department has received up to 500 requests under the Freedom of Information Act in recent months from some of this group requesting their personal file. There was a significant rise in the number of applicants after the States of Fear programme. The Department has received more requests from survivors of such institutions under the Act than most other departments and State agencies receive in a year.
The Irish Survivors of Child Abuse yesterday said it would be encouraging all survivors to apply for their file which they needed to take part in the commission. If even a small percentage of the 60,000 people apply for their file, the Department is likely to be seriously stretched.
There is already great strain on the Department's Freedom of Information unit and requests from other applicants have been significantly delayed. It is understood that to pull together all the elements of one person's file can take up to 30 hours.
Mr John Kelly, co-ordinator of the survivors group, said 500 people had applied for their file because many survivors were not aware information could be obtained under the information Act. He expressed serious dissatisfaction with the Department of Education in relation to handling the files. He said many survivors were refused access, while others only received access after an internal appeal or by appealing to the Information Commissioner.
The Department's Freedom of Information manual says re quests from survivors should be "treated with great sensitivity".