Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

One recommendation is that the Oireachtas should consider creating a new criminal offence covering the failure to protect children from injury or sexual abuse. That recommendation must be accepted first. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform gave commitments on behalf of the Government regarding the Dublin diocese which still stand.

In response to the Deputy's first question, I cannot say that none of these activities is happening anywhere in Ireland today. For that reason I mentioned in reply to Deputy Kenny that we would write to the church authorities not only about the implementation of these recommendations but to ensure that their own guidelines are effectively implemented. The guidelines have been implemented in recent years in Ferns, as per this report, particularly as a result of the work of Bishop Eamonn Walsh.

I am mindful also that the report states that clerical abuse of our children probably accounts for 3% of the total abuse. I cannot say that these horrendous crimes against our children are not happening in all sorts of circumstances, whether clerical, as in this case, or in the 97% of other cases. We should be alert to that today too.

The important issue for us is that we commissioned this detailed and frightening examination which uncovers issues that will shock most, if not all, of the people and we must deal with it. We will do so on the basis of the recommendations made by the good work of Mr. Justice Murphy and highlighted by many others. I do not have time to detail the recommendations but the Government will release them soon and get on with implementing them as quickly as possible.

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