Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

The Ferns report throws a glaring light on a very dark period of suffering, criminal activity, complicity and an appalling conspiracy of silence. It is sickening and makes my stomach turn just reading it. People outside this House, as well as those here, want answers to two basic questions. First, how was it allowed to happen? Second, could it happen again?

As of now, I fear the answer to the latter question is that it could. With regard to the former question, I wish to ask about the investigation that has been promised. Does the Taoiseach think that we are going to find out why no Garda files existed prior to 1988 on the abuse cases in the Ferns diocese? Is it not shocking to learn about such a black hole in Garda files? More shocking still is the report that the office of the Garda Commissioner was aware of the abuse by Fr. Grennan and therefore, according to "Morning Ireland", the political masters of the Garda must also have been aware of it.

It is also shocking to hear that a councillor tried to propose a motion concerning the sexual abuse at a meeting of the South Eastern Health Board but got support from only one other councillor. Will the investigation go as wide as it needs to go? Will it go from the Taoiseach and the Commissioner down and cover the health boards and the churches?

With regard to the question as to whether this could happen again, the Ombudsman for Children is on record as saying that legislation in areas of her responsibility is not strong enough. There are many sections of the Children Act 2001 that have still not been implemented. The Sexual Offences Act of 2003, in section 10, regarding notification, states that we need better notification, that gardaí need to be able to respond if somebody brings a report of a paedophile in an area to them. We know that the response is uneven. There is no direction, manual or handbook guiding the gardaí. Is the Taoiseach aware if, within the Garda code, there is a proper response outlined for gardaí in the event of information about a paedophile coming to light? Will the Taoiseach take action on that? Such action must be taken now and, indeed, should have been taken a long time ago.

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