Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I want to pay tribute to those who came forward to speak to the inquiry outlining the appalling abuse they suffered. These courageous people who spoke about their experiences of abuse have offered the inquiry and the country as a whole a disturbing but crucial insight into the nature and extent of the problem and the lasting trauma it can cause. We need to remember that the events which occurred in Ferns have affected the families of victims and those against whom allegations were made and I hope in this debate that the feelings of these are taken into account. I also pay tribute to Mr. Justice Murphy and his team on the tremendous work they carried out.

The Government and country are appalled, shocked and dismayed at the extent of the allegations of abuse outlined in the Ferns Report. Our duty as a Government and a nation is to ensure that proper child protection practices are in place and operate to the highest achievable standards. This Government has accepted all of the recommendations in the Ferns Report. In view of this, I have taken a number of steps to ensure the recommendations are implemented by all the bodies concerned and by the wider community. I have requested confirmation from the Irish Bishops' Conference that the recommendations of the Ferns Report will be implemented collectively and individually by its members. I have also requested confirmation that the framework guidelines are in place in all dioceses.

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is finalising proposals for the establishment of a commission to investigate the handling of complaints and allegations of child sexual abuse against clergy operating under the aegis of the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin. It is proposed that the commission may investigate the situation in any Catholic diocese in the State following a notification from my office that the diocese may not be implementing church guidelines on child sexual abuse by a priest or religious or a notification that a diocese may not be implementing satisfactorily the recommendations of the Ferns Report.

The Health Service Executive has been requested by me to make contact with the individual bishops in the Catholic Church as a matter of urgency to monitor child protection practices and ensure compliance with the recommendations of the Ferns Report.

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