Dáil debates
Tuesday, 8 November 2005
Other Questions.
Sexual Offences.
2:30 pm
Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on claims made by the One in Four group that abuser clerics had an extremely high level of access to national schools which allowed them to take children from the schools and abuse them. [32747/05]
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The involvement of priests with national schools has generally been in the role of chairperson of the board of management or as visiting priest assisting a class teacher in the provision of religious instruction, for example, in preparation for First Communion or Confirmation. The rules for national schools require that the chairpersons of the boards of management visit their schools regularly and satisfy themselves that the rules for national schools are being complied with. The timetable for primary schools provides for a period of 30 minutes per day for the teaching of religion. While the teaching of this subject would be a matter for the class teacher, the teacher may invite the clergy of the relevant denomination to visit the class during this period if they so wish.
I am aware of the claims made by the One in Four group in so far as they have been reported in the media. I understand they relate to concerns about certain priests with a propensity for child abuse having had access to children in national schools primarily in the inner city of Dublin in the 1980s. Obviously, if there are particular concerns in this regard they would need to be investigated fully. We now know from the Ferns inquiry the awful reality of how persons, who were accorded a position of trust in the community, wilfully abused that position to visit the horror of child sexual abuse on their victims with such damaging consequences for them and their families.
This morning the Government took decisions on further investigations specifically in respect of the archdiocese of Dublin. Details will be announced later this afternoon. I assure the House that my Department will provide whatever assistance it can to facilitate the work of the commission.
Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Is the Minister saying that the Department of Education and Science has no information on the claims made by the One in Four group that children were taken out by abuser priests? It is not clear from her response. The One in Four group has suggested that children from a deprived or working class background were taken out. The governor of Mountjoy Prison often talks about the usual groups and communities from which people come. Many of the children abused at school went to institutions at which they were again abused and ended up in prisons where they were also abused. I am trying to ascertain the information the Minister has on the abuse that appears to have happened in the past.
The Minister mentioned the Ferns Inquiry and as a society we must learn from what happened in the past. However, if this information is not in the Department of Education and Science, should we look to abuser groups to place this information on the public record or should Departments such as the Department of Education and Science and the Department of Health and Children come out openly and accept the problems that existed in the past and hopefully learn from it?
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Any information on the Dublin archdiocese will be provided to the commission and we are co-operating fully to ensure that any factual information we have will be handed over. While I am not aware of details, we will investigate fully anything the One in Four group highlights for us.
Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Has the Minister met Marie Therese O'Loughlin, who is protesting outside Leinster House and who has made claims of abuse? Has she given consideration to including the Morning Star mother and baby unit in the scope of the Residential Institutions Redress Board?
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I have spoken to Marie Therese O'Loughlin and have indicated to her that unfortunately I am not in a position to add that mother and baby home to the Schedule because the State did not have any inspection role in that home at that time. It therefore cannot be included. Obviously she is very upset over this matter. I did not want her to suffer any further in anticipation that something could happen. However, I am precluded from doing it.
Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Understanding the relationship between the schools and how abuse took place is important. Will the Minister reconsider allowing the Department of Education and Science to provide copies of material regarding special schools to the National Archives of Ireland, which does not have material from special schools because it is being used for the redress board? Copies rather than originals could be supplied. It is very important that as much information as possible is put into the public arena to maximise protection and understand the relationship between the State and those schools.
Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy gave the reasons we cannot hand over that documentation. Normally documentation would be supplied after 30 years. However, because it is in use by the redress board we cannot hand it over. As soon as the board's work is complete we will be happy to ensure that information is made available.