Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I know the Deputy has raised this out of a sense of seriousness because it is ultimately the most personally invasive and sensitive issue which could arise. I remember meeting Louise O'Keeffe with the then Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. There was a huge file on the case, leaving aside her courage in pursuing her case in the European court.

I do not know how many victims of sexual abuse there have been over the years in the primary school system. It is no more than the secondary school system, I assume. We had the redress scheme, the case of all the Magdalenes - not that there was sexual abuse in the vast majority of cases - and the mother and baby home report which will come before the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. We will have to see what that means.

I cannot recall all the details of the file in this case. Deputy Micheál Martin's asked if something can be done about this. I have no idea of the scale of what might be involved. I need to read the detail of the file and the legal outcomes.

People who were abused have to live with that for all of their lives. It is a horrific issue to have to contend with every waking moment. I do not want to go beyond that. To commit to something that I do not have the full facts or details about would not be appropriate on the floor of the Dáil. The sexual abuse of children is a horrific crime. Those who perpetrate such crimes, if they are still around, should be brought before justice. To go back the distance involved here would present an enormous scale and challenge. Deputy Micheál Martin has made a point. I will have to look at the scale of what might be involved to answer his question on whether anything might be possible. I do not want to give a commitment without focussing on the potential scale of what is involved.

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