Commissions of Investigation
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-12
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Hildegarde Naughton (FG), Galway West

As regards how long it will take that interdepartmental group to report, the work of that group is very complex and involves several Departments, State agencies and relevant expertise. The work of that IDG is entirely separate from the work of the commission, which does not have a role in redress. That group aims to complete its work within 18 months. When that interdepartmental group has completed its work, it will provide a report to me and then subsequently to Government.
Many of the survivors who spoke to that scoping inquiry view financial redress as an important measure of accountability for those who ran schools where sexual abuse happened. The State has some experience in dealing with the religious orders in the context of redress, and it is important we learn from that experience, particularly given the potential scale of redress for historical sexual abuse in schools. Clarity on that scale is critical and all mechanisms that can be used by the State to secure the appropriate funding from those who were responsible for child sexual abuse in schools will be carefully examined.
It is important to ensure there is financial accountability for those who were responsible for child sexual abuse in schools, particularly as so many of those who are alleged to have abused children are now deceased and will not face criminal charges.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-12