Child Abuse
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-11
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Michael Moynihan (FF), Cork North-West

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for the question. First of all, I want to welcome him back. It is great to see him and I wish him the very best of luck in everything.
To say that I find the question in front of me and the challenges faced by survivors challenging would be an understatement. It is extremely distressing even to read or study some of the documentation in relation to this. I find it horrendous to hear the legacy that has been left and the damage that has been done to the man the Deputy calls Stephen, not just in his school years, but in his lifetime.
The Government takes revelations of historical sexual abuse in schools with the utmost seriousness and has established a commission of investigation, chaired by Mr. Justice Michael MacGrath, to investigate the handling of complaints and allegations of historical sexual abuse in schools. The commission was the principal recommendation of the report of the scoping inquiry into historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders. The scoping inquiry’s report also recognised the significance of the issue of redress for survivors and their expressed wish that those running schools where child sexual abuse occurred should be held financially accountable. It recommended that consideration be given by the Government to establishing a redress scheme for survivors.
The high-level interdepartmental group established to advise the Government on the recommendations of the scoping inquiry recognised redress as an important element of accountability for survivors. The group recognises that consideration of a redress scheme may have far-reaching implications and has advised that further work needs to be undertaken to ensure that the Government is fully informed in any decision it may take. The interdepartmental group has commenced this work, is committed to meeting regularly and aims to report to the Department of education within 18 months. This will not impede the progress of the commission of investigation, which will begin its work in parallel. The commission does not have a role in relation to redress.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-11