Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 December 2013
536. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the steps he has taken to deal with the allegations of sexual abuse from hundreds of victims who have been pursuing their claims for almost 20 years against a surgeon (details supplied) in County Louth. [53007/13]
View answerIn October 2009, the then Minister for Health and Children announced the establishment of an independent non statutory review, the “Drogheda Review”, to advise her on whether any additional information or insights were likely to be achieved from a further full investigation into the activities of a certain doctor in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in the period 1964 to 1995.
The report by former High Court Judge Mr. T.C. Smyth was submitted to the Minister in September 2010. The report recommended that a further investigation should not be held and that, in order to avoid prejudicing any civil or criminal cases, the report should not be published. A short summary of the report was, however, prepared and supplied to the patient support groups in January 2011.
I understand that the allegations referred to by the Deputy are the subject of on-going legal proceedings.
The patient support and advocacy group Dignity 4 Patients received €22,500 in funding this year from the HSE. Dignity 4 Patients supports people who have suffered sexual abuse whilst a patient in a medical setting.
