Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 14 Oct 2003

Vol. 572 No. 3

Child Abuse.

Ms McManus

To counteract the justified criticism levelled against the extraordinary indemnity deal given to the religious congregations – within whose ranks, let us remember, were numbered the perpetrators of gross abuse – the Taoiseach and other Ministers have repeated time and time again that their primary concern is for the victims of such abuse. One in Four has been one of the most successful groups assisting victims of sexual abuse.

The One in Four organisation, thanks to Government ineptitude and possibly worse, is currently on the point of collapse. There can be no dispute about the bona fides of both the organisation and its director, Colm O'Gorman. It is run by and for people who have experienced sexual abuse and provides a truly independent counselling service. It provides individual therapy, group therapy, advocacy and support, open evenings, help-line support and on-line message boards. Indirectly it provides support through campaigning, policy making, in-house research training and consultancy work.

Its establishment in Ireland was encouraged, promoted and supported by the Government. One in Four set out in detail its proposed brief. From the beginning it set out its therapeutic role as being central to its work. Officials of the Department of Health and Children did not dispute this. After a meeting on 25 March 2003 with these officials, One in Four spelt out clearly the nature of its work and the nature of the agreement made with the Department in a detailed letter that was sent to the Department on 27 March and copied to the Department of the Taoiseach. The officials had sought an estimate of the costs of the counselling service. In August, One in Four supplied that information and within a week followed up with a breakdown of figures. From the letter dated 27 March until 15 September the Department did not, apparently, dispute the issue of counselling. However, the Taoiseach today claims that this information was not forthcoming. Today the Taoiseach stated that €208,000 was made available to the British-based operation. My understanding is that only €60,000 of that money was allocated to the British operation.

Despite pleas from One in Four, the officials never signed a service agreement with them. In August, One in Four asked the Department's officials to meet it representatives. The organisation did not receive a reply to that request. It is clear from the documentation that the One in Four organisation kept the Department fully informed yet at no time until 15 September did the Department make clear any problem with its counselling role.

This confusion raises serious questions about the professionalism and competence of the Department of Health and Children in dealing with an important service provider, the development of which it had encouraged. It is worth noting that the Finlay report recommended that it was not appropriate for counselling to be provided by the State but that an independent body was required. This principle is surely as valid in the area of sexual abuse. The Government has managed to spend €17 million on counselling since 1999, while the religious congregations claim to have spent €10 million on counselling services. The only truly independent counselling service of these three is due to collapse because €81,000 cannot be found and the budget which was promised for next year is now in jeopardy. There is no doubt that this is a desperately needed service. As one abuse victim said: "I saw One in Four reach out where others had failed, giving us the necessary support to keep alive."

I urge the Minister of State to make a clear statement of support tonight for the work of One in Four and of his commitment to ensuring that these matters can be resolved and that the future of this organisation can be secured.

Mr. T. O'Malley

My Department has co-operated with this organisation since its establishment. To this end, One in Four has received a grant of €633,000 from May 2002 to date, a period of 17 months. Of this amount, €208,000 was made available to One in Four UK to assist it in dealing with calls from Ireland about clerical abuse.

The remaining grant of €425,000 was made available to One in Four Ireland. This amount is made up of €302,000 for staff salaries, expenses, pensions and training. The staffing of the organisation, as indicated to my Department in its submission for funding comprises a director, an office manager, a receptionist, a therapy co-ordinator and an advocacy worker.

The remainder is made up of €79,000 for premises, €5,000 recruitment costs and €8,000 volunteer costs. The full amount of agreed funding between the Department and the group for 2003 has been paid in three amounts and ahead of the schedule envisaged by One in Four itself.

Many meetings have taken place with Mr. O'Gorman since April 2002, both on the establishment of his group and the inquiry into the handling of allegations of child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Ferns. I refute Mr. O'Gorman's assertion that my Department has been anything other than professional in its dealings with One in Four.

At a meeting held in March 2003, the establishment costs for the organisation were agreed. At that time it was agreed that One in Four would submit details on the cost of providing counselling. The organisation never submitted these details. In August 2003, the group requested an additional €37,824 for counselling costs incurred this year up to the end of July and a further €43,200 to cover counselling costs from the beginning of August to the end of the year. Additional information was sought from One in Four in order for my Department to assess what costs it may be liable to cover.

My Department responded on 11 September 2003 that it was willing to pay for counselling to institutional abuse victims and clerical abuse victims for which Faoiseamh had not been billed. This amounted to €4,032. One in Four already receives its counselling costs regarding clerical abuse victims from Faoiseamh, the church-sponsored counselling service. As I have already stated, my Department provides counselling services through the National Counselling Service for victims of all types of abuse. The costs of counselling incurred by the Department from 1999 to date amounts to €17 million. This is a quality-driven service as shown by the evaluation recently published. Clients of the National Counselling Service have indicated that they were extremely satisfied with the service provided. The Department also provides a similar service for those who are resident in the UK and were in institutions as children. Furthermore, it also provides private counselling for those who, as children, suffered abuse in an institutional setting and do not wish to avail of the State-sponsored services.

I can confirm that a meeting with Mr. O'Gorman and One in Four has been organised for Thursday next, 16 October 2003, to discuss this matter. My Department is committed to retaining a constructive relationship with the One in Four organisation. The purpose of the meeting will be to set a framework within which One in Four will continue to successfully operate.