Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2006
53 Mr. Sherlock asked the Minister for Education and Science if the recent evidence given by her Department to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse revealed information on file that had not been previously disclosed to the Commission; if she is satisfied that all files requested by former chairperson of the Commission, Justice Mary Laffoy were supplied to her; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25931/06]
View answerThe evidence given by the Secretary General of my Department to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse at the recent Phase III hearings was based on a detailed examination of the files held in my Department in relation to the industrial and reformatory school system. These files were previously provided to the Commission on an informal basis or under discovery direction.
The examination of Department files in preparation for the Phase III hearings of the Commission was conducted by my Department with the assistance of independent researchers and documentary counsel. During the course this examination, staff of my Department identified some documents relating to the employment of Department Inspectors of industrial & reformatory schools and child care advisers which had not previously been disclosed to the Commission and, in view of their possible relevance, these were provided to the Commission.
All relevant files that were found within the Department during the term of the former Chairperson of the Commission, Ms Justice Laffoy, were supplied to her. In addition to some 500,000 pages of documentation provided by the Department on an informal basis, the Commission under Ms Justice Laffoy served 16 discovery directions on the Department and all relevant files which had been identified were supplied to the Commission on foot of those discovery directions. The Department has complied with a further 25 discovery directions since the appointment of Mr Justice Sean Ryan as Chairperson of the Commission and the Department will be providing documentation in relation to another 2 Discovery Directions by the end of August of this year.
