Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 24 Feb 2000

Vol. 515 No. 2

Ceisteanna–Questions. Priority Questions. - Child Abuse Commission.

Alan Shatter

Ceist:

3 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans, if any, he has to make available to the commission to inquire into child abuse, all records, files and papers in his Department over the past 60 years detailing allegations of this abuse in institutions; his Department's response to these allegations; the plans, if any, he has to require each health board to make available to the commission any documentation held by them including the health boards' responses; and the progress, if any, made to date in collating this documentation [5522/00]

Mr. Martin

As Deputies will be aware, the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Bill, 2000, was published by my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, on 4 February last. The Bill includes a provision which establishes an investigation committee and this committee will have full powers to compel witnesses and to discover documents – powers similar to those of the High Court.

It goes without saying that my Department will co-operate fully with the commission and with the investigation committee to be established. All relevant records will be made available and work on assembling these has commenced. There has also been contact between my Department and the secretariat of the commission on this issue.

In regard to health boards, they are separate statutory bodies and while I do not have an intermediary role, I expect to be in touch with the health boards to ensure full compliance with the work of the commission of inquiry. It will have powers to compel the discovery of documents, the compellability of witnesses and so forth.

Mr. Shatter

I am sure the Minister will acknowledge that when the commission of inquiry finally gets under way it is important it should be able to carry out its work as satisfactorily and as speedily as possible. Does he agree it should not be impeded in that work by Government Departments or health boards? In that context, the Minister was the initiator of the commission of inquiry and he had my full support on that. He will be aware that the Department of Education and Science started collating information on reports of child abuse some considerable time ago. Will he confirm when the Department of Health and Children commenced collating the necessary information and documentation to be given to the commission? Will he clarify how many years such collation dates back? What is the extent of the look back programme in this context? Will he acknowledge that in the interests of ensuring the work of the commission proceeds efficiently, a direction should issue from his Department to each health board to commence collating all such relevant information and documentation going back over a specified period of years because if that does not occur the work of this commission could be substantially delayed by health boards not having done the necessary preparatory work?

Mr. Martin

The secretariat of the commission had been in touch with the Department before I arrived in Hawkins House. The Department has gone through documentation that is of relevance to the inquiry. Documents are held in the Department, the National Archives and in storage. The documents in storage were removed recently from O'Connell Bridge House. They are being indexed and relevant files have been held for the purpose of the inquiry. A database with approximately 9,500 index cards has been set up. There are working files on institutions such as Golden bridge and so forth in the Department and these contain information on matters relating to funding and so on as opposed to details on individuals. The bulk of documents on records of children who attended these institutions are in the Department of Education and Science.

I have no difficulty in issuing a directive but we should remember health boards are statutory bodies in their own right and have a duty and a responsibility to obey the law and to co-operate fully with the work of the commission of inquiry into child abuse.

Mr. Shatter

Does the Minister agree that no such preparatory work has yet been commenced by any health board? Will he agree that he should be aware that in years gone by people who were abused in residential institutions had such abuse reported to health boards from time to time and it is important information contained in the files of health boards going back a number of decades is gone through and collated in the same efficient manner that the Minister informed us is happening in the Department of Health and Children and started some considerable time ago in the Department of Education and Science? It is in the public interest that the health boards are not merely alerted to the need to do this but commence this work that has not commenced to date within any health board.

Mr. Martin

It is important we let the commission do its work. The commission secretariat has been in touch with my Department and it will be in touch, if it has not been, with all statutory bodies and organisations that can be of assistance to the work of the commission. In relation to the Deputy's point, I will take the matter up again with the health boards.