Vol. 455 No. 8
102 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health whether the legal review of the report prepared on Madonna House has been completed; if not, when it will be completed; when it is intended to publish the report; and the number of children who were victims of sexual or other abuse whilst in care in Madonna House according to the report submitted to his Department. [13117/95]
The report of the investigation into the operation of Madonna House has been completed and submitted to the Department of Health and the Religious Sisters of Charity, under whose aegis the home operated.
Following a preliminary examination of the report by the Department of Health, the advice of the Office of the Attorney General was sought as to whether the report could be published. The advice received was that the report could not be published in full because of the need to protect the identities of certain parties and to avoid interference with ongoing investigations and legal proceedings.
Notwithstanding this the Minister is anxious to honour the commitment given to the House on 12 October 1994 by the then Minister that it was his wish that as much information as possible should be made available. Following consultations with the Office of the Attorney General, it was decided to commission a barrister to examine the report with a view to publishing as much as possible without undue risk of legal complications. I understand that the barrister concerned is finalising his review and we expect to receive his report shortly. It is intended to make a fuller statement on the matter at that stage.
