Taoiseach backs national audit of child sex abuse

A Fine Gael proposal to have a national audit of child sex abuse was backed by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Mr Ahern said he did not want to say anything off the top of his head. "We will deal with it," he added. "The audit will have to be on a national basis. It will mean looking at those who, perhaps, have been prosecuted."

The Taoiseach was responding to Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, who said the Ferns report demonstrated that, at quite a reasonable cost, a private inquiry could lay out a litany of truth about matters which took place many years ago.

"From that perspective, I think, for the Catholic Church itself, that a national audit would be in everybody's interest because where this abuse has existed it has to be cleared out once and for all and be dealt with," he added.

He said that whatever decision was made by the Government, in respect of the Dublin archdiocese, where grave allegations had also been made, perhaps the system should apply nationally, and that, once and for all, they could put in place, not just protocols but the very best practice to ensure children now and in the future could and would grow up in an environment of respect and trust.

Mr Kenny said Fine Gael would accommodate whatever the Government wished to do in terms of implementing or legislating for best practice.

Mr Ahern said they all would have to learn from the mistakes of the past, especially but not only the church. "The reality is that none of these issues was ever reported within the church authorities, or even in the Garda authorities, or in the health boards," he added.

"Until 1990, it was a very different situation. This report, like other reports in other areas, has highlighted this issue."

Mr Kenny said that everybody in the House had contact with Catholic priests who set about their ecclesiastical business with the highest standards and who had always carried out their duties in an entirely responsible manner. However, there had been allegations that Ferns might not be unique.

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said the Ferns report had thrown a glaring light on a very dark period of suffering, criminal activity, complicity and an appalling conspiracy of silence. "It is sickening and makes my stomach turn just reading it," he added. He said that people outside the House, as well as those in the Dáil, wanted answers to two basic questions.

"First, how was it allowed to happen? Second, could it happen again? As of now, I fear the answer to the latter question is that it could."

Mr Ahern said the report indicated that they had seen a substantial change in recent years, both in Ferns and elsewhere, and it was now up to the House to ensure that this remained the case and that change happened in the rest of the country.

Mr Sargent suggested there was "a veil of shame" over the lack of political response when the information came to light, adding that the Government had not acted and responded in the way it should. There should be mandatory reporting of sex abuse allegations and the resources put in place so that people could be vetted.

Mr Ahern said he could not answer the question as to why people, who had suspicions of people in the 1950s, '60s and '70s, had not come forward. The Sex Offenders Act 2001, providing for the monitoring of convicted sex offenders, had been on the statute books for over four years. The Garda central vetting unit had been established, and other measures had been taken, he added.