Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 7 Feb 2001

Vol. 530 No. 1

Written Answers. - Child Abuse.

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

174 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress that has been made in establishing a system of support for organisations representing survivors of child abuse; the agreements reached at a meeting held on 8 November 2000 with representatives of certain support groups; if the decisions were acted upon; the events which transpired at a subsequent meeting on 22 November 2000 which appear to have overturned the original decisions following the dispute and withdrawal of the original groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3306/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

A range of services have been in place for some time which provide support for survivors of abuse in the first instance and for groups representing survivors. These include a serviced office in Cork and another in Dublin. Both of these offices offer information in relation to the various Government initiatives for survivors of abuse and public services generally. They also provide, or arrange, for counselling and education services for survivors. Both of the offices provide services for all survivors without reference to their membership of any group. In addition to these offices, my Department has been involved with a number of support groups for survivors in establishing a second office in Dublin. While playing a similar role to the other already established offices, as far as survivors are concerned, this office will have a more national focus compared to the more regional focus of the existing offices. This office will be operational within the next week.

An important feature of the national support office is that it will be managed on a day to day basis by a professional administrator. To assist the administrator and to ensure the relevance of the office and its activities to survivors of abuse, the administrator will be advised by a committee drawn from those support groups which support the objectives of the office. While a meeting did take place involving a number of support groups on 8 November it was an exploratory meeting only to discuss a range of issues. At a further meeting of 22 November there was disagreement among some of the representatives of the groups present resulting in the withdrawal of some of the participants. However, the meeting went on to form a committee with representation from three of the most active and well organised support groups in the country. This committee is now operating effectively and constructively with the administrator of the office and I am confident that together they will provide an effective and valuable service for survivors of abuse.

I am aware that some of those who withdrew from the meeting on 22 November now wish to join the committee. It is not my intention to interfere in the membership of that committee. Given that it is a committee formed from survivor support groups it is my view that the committee should determine its own internal affairs. The appointment of new members to the committee is a matter for the committee and any person who wishes to become a member should apply to it.