Vol. 574 No. 1
263 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on whether a clear conflict exists between his Department as sponsor of the Child Abuse Commission and its appearance as a defendant before the commission and the need for a speedy conclusion to the inquiry started by Ms Justice Laffoy into a case (details supplied), in view of a television programme and a newspaper article on the case. [26053/03]
I am satisfied that no conflict exists between the role of the Department as sponsor of the Child Abuse Commission and the Department's role as a respondent to the commission. Considerable staffing resources have been put in place within the Department to ensure that the Department is in a position to fulfil its obligations to the Commission both as sponsor and respondent. None of the staff within the Department dealing with this issue had any role to play in the operation of the institutions or have had any allegations made against them. All of the Department's efforts, both as sponsor of the commission and as a respondent to it, have been to ensure that the commission is enabled to carry out the task that was set to it by the Oireachtas.
With regard to the particular case referred to by the Deputy, I can confirm that my Department earlier this year complied with a discovery direction from the commission and provided it with the Department's records in this case. While I understand the Deputy's concern that the commission would conclude this particular inquiry as speedily as possible, I reiterate that, as an independent statutory body, it is a matter for the commission to decide when it considers it is in a position to progress or conclude any particular inquiry.
My Department is ready to assist the commission to achieve that in respect of this particular case in any way that it can.
