Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important and very serious issue. As he says, the HSE commissioned the National Independent Review Panel, NIRP, to carry out a review into very serious incidents of concern which took place between 2003 and 2016. That resulted in the publication in December of the National Independent Review Panel - Brandon Report for Publication. Prior to the NIRP commission, a look-back review into these incidents had been conducted by an external expert. To ensure completeness, HSE community healthcare organisation, CHO, 1 separately commenced a file review period from 1991 to 2002, reflecting the time period that Brandon was in the care of disability services. The purpose of this was to screen all records for any notations referring to alleged or actual sexual conduct during this timeframe. Once this work was completed, it was then externally validated. This file review and validation report was recently made available to the Minister of State with responsibility for disability matters, Deputy Rabbitte. The Minister of State also met with the HSE in recent weeks to discuss the reports and issues raised.

The HSE is continuing to progress the recommendations from this exercise as well as those of the Brandon report. The HSE advises it is prioritising engagement with service users and families affected by the outcome of the review. Further support offers will be made in the coming weeks when residents' families will have time to consider what may be helpful to them. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, together with senior officials in the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth are close to finalising terms of reference for an independent safeguarding review of disability services in Donegal. An independent expert on safeguarding will be appointed to chair the review.

The report - that is the validation report in my understanding - has been provided to An Garda Síochána. In response, on 17 June the Garda advised that it has conducted a preliminary perusal of the report and appendices. Given the historic nature of many of the issues, a considerable trawl of records will be needed, which An Garda Síochána says will require a period of time to conduct, and then the report will need to be reviewed and compared with existing information. An Garda Síochána has indicated a period of six weeks will be required to undertake this process.

The Government continues to take these issues very seriously and to take allegations of abuse particularly seriously. We appreciate people coming forward to report safeguarding concerns to the appropriate authorities and professional bodies.

In respect of the core question the Deputy has asked, in terms of an inquiry, I will discuss this further with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and with other members of Government in respect of what is transpiring here and the outcome of the latest validation report. Equally, we have to take on board what An Garda Síochána is saying. I am going to wait the six weeks for the trawl it is doing. We do not want to undermine any action the Garda will have to take on this either. That is something we cannot just dismiss.

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