Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I assure the Deputy that we all have to learn from the mistakes of the past and especially but not only the church. The reality is that none of these issues was ever reported within the church authorities and even in the Garda authorities or in the health boards. Until 1990 it was a very different situation. This report, like other reports in other areas, has highlighted this issue.

In regard to the Dublin diocese, we have already gone down the road a considerable distance in terms of preparation for the work there but had held back pending this report, which was the right thing to do. We can say categorically and we rightly expect that the 1996 guidelines will continue to be implemented fully in every diocese. The first thing that has to be done, and the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan, said this yesterday at the press conference, is to write to the dioceses to ensure that is happening. One of the issues that arose from Mr. Justice Murphy's report is that not only the guidelines but the inter-agency action that was taking place between the Garda, health officials and others had proved to be hugely successful in other areas. It is a question of whether that should apply everywhere and it is in the interests of the church. We all realise there are many people involved in the church who would abhor what is outlined in this report as much as any of us and for their own sense of being able to carry forward their own mission they would want to do this. The 1996 guidelines are the first issue.

The second issue is what is contained in this report and, obviously, it requires legislation. There will have to be new ways for dealing with people who deal with children. I have already mentioned the legislative change. The important issue is to ensure as best we can this never happens again in society. As I said yesterday I am conscious that clerical abuse of children — I do not know how people worked out the figure and I am not too comfortable working out the figure — accounts for 3% of abuse, which means 97% rests somewhere else. Many of these reports are equally relevant to other places but we are dealing with the Ferns report. We have to build on our knowledge to ensure it never happens again. When looking at the Dublin diocese we have to look at the nature and type of inquiry. There have been some suggestions by my colleagues already on how this could be done but until we work out a means of doing it I do not want to say something off the top of my head. We will deal with it. The audit will have to be on a national basis. It will mean looking at those who, perhaps, have been prosecuted. The inquiry looked at how these issues were dealt with, and not just that they happened. The upsetting aspect of the report is that normally when a person is in breach of something, and certainly on an issue as serious as this, as happened properly under Bishop Walsh in Ferns, they are removed and are out of the equation, but that was not what happened. We have to ensure that is not the position that pertains anywhere else.

See this speech in context