Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 10 Apr 2003

Vol. 565 No. 2

Written Answers. - Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse.

Jan O'Sullivan

Ceist:

34 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the comments made by a person (details supplied) expressing serious concerns at the delays by his Department in providing documents long ago requested by her inquiry and the statement that there had been no real engagement by his Department; the steps he is taking to ensure that all documents required by the inquiry are provided without further delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10181/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

The Deputy is referring to comments made in the course of a recent procedural hearing held by the investigation committee of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. I understand that during the hearing both the chairperson of the committee and counsel to the committee were critical of the Department's performance in relation to the discovery of documentation to the investigation committee. I also understand that counsel for the Department rebutted these criticisms and put the Department's contribution to the work of the committee in context.

As the Deputy will probably be aware, the great majority of the complaints made to the investigation committee have emanated from former residents of the industrial and reformatory schools system. In this regard, my Department has provided over 500,000 documents records relating to the old industrial and reformatory schools system to the investigation committee on a voluntary basis. This documentation was provided in e-format for the committee on a phased basis between 2000 and 2002. The assistance provided by my Department in this regard has previously been acknowledged on several occasions by the committee, as was the assistance provided by my officials in relation to the operation of the computer system storing the documentation.

In recent weeks, the investigation committee issued a direction for discovery to the Department which required to be complied with by the end of April 2003. My Department sought a variation on the date for compliance with this direction due principally to the large volume of documents that the Department would have to search through in order to meet the terms of the direction. An extension of the deadline to the end of June 2003 was granted to the Department at the recent procedural hearing referred to earlier. My Department is now working towards ensuring full compliance with the terms of the direction within the revised deadline.

I can assure the Deputy that my Department is fully committed to assisting the investigation committee in carrying out its functions.