Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 May 2018
272. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the person or body that provided the interpretation of a judgment (details supplied) that showed that a prior complaint is a requirement; if this interpretation will be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21160/18]
View answerAs part of the implementation of the Judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in the Louise O’Keeffe case, in November 2017, I appointed Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill to act as an independent assessor in respect of cases where an individual has had an application for the ex-gratia scheme, established following the Judgement, declined by the State Claims Agency and applies for an assessment of the Agency’s decision.
Mr Justice O’Neill looked for a submission on: ‘whether the imposition of the condition which required that there had to be evidence of a prior complaint of child sexual abuse on the part of the employee in question to the school authority (or a school authority in which the employee has previously worked), to establish eligibility for a payment under the ex gratia scheme, is consistent with and a correct implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Louise O’Keeffe v. Ireland’.
The submission forwarded to Mr. Justice O’Neill on 27 April was prepared with the advice and assistance of the Attorney General and Senior Counsel and is now published on the Department's website.
