Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will ask that the Deputy's party's Bill is referred to the Attorney General as part of his consideration. That is a sensible thing to do. We will continue and I want the Deputy to know, as she probably does from her engagement with the Minister, Deputy Foley, that there is an intense degree of work going on in relation to this. We have seen in the past when we have got mechanisms correct that we have provided people with answers and a degree of healing. However, we have also seen that when we have got mechanisms wrong we have provided people with meeting more senior counsel than one could fit in here, often paid for by the State, and have retraumatised survivors. That is the bit that we want to get right.

The scale of this is alarming. The scoping inquiry was told of 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse involving 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools. The allegations were contained in the records of 42 religious orders which currently run or previously ran schools and include 590 allegations of sexual abuse in special schools. That section of the report is particularly harrowing and horrifying to read. Let us continue to engage on this. I will seek legal advice on the Deputy's legislation.

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