Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

On this item, section 5 of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act 2000 requires that the commission's report must be published within the specified period. That specified period is due to expire at midnight on 31 January next. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act 200 (Section 5) (Specified Period) Order 2009 will extend the specified period of the commission for a further four months to 31 May 2009. The extension is required to allow the commission to fulfil its statutory mandate to publish its report during the specified period. The commissioners are working hard to finalise their report. Mr. Justice Sean Ryan, chairperson of the commission, has recently indicated to the Department that it hopes to be in a position to forward the final version of its report to the printers by mid-February and that the commission's legal team will obviously be significantly reduced at that stage. Indications are that the report is a particularly voluminous document, the printing process is expected to take in the region of two months and arrangements will then have to be put in place for its release to the general public, as required by the Act.

A resolution approving the order must be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas to enable that to happen.

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