I propose to take Questions Nos. 47 and 59 together.
The measures announced by the Government in response to the needs of people who were victims of abuse in childhood include the establishment of a commission which will provide a forum for victims of abuse and conduct wide-ranging inquiries into the nature, extent and causes of abuse of children in Irish society; the establishment of a countrywide counselling service dedicated for victims of abuse, and changes to the law relating to litigation in child abuse cases and sexual offences against children.
These measures were the result of work carried out over a number of months and represented a determination by the Government to move away from the inadequate responses which had been seen too often on previous occasions. Substantial progress has been made to-date in implementing the measures.
The commission has been appointed and includes Ms Justice Mary Laffoy of the High Court as chairperson, Dr. Imelda Ryan, consultant cHild and Adolescent psychiatrist and Mr. Bob Lewis, a former director of social services in Stockport, England. My Department is making arrangements for the appointment of a secretariat to the commission and these arrangements are well advanced.