Written answers

Tuesday, 21 March 2006

Department of Education and Science

Child Abuse

8:00 pm

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 718: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the Residential Institutions Redress Board and those inquiring into child abuse in State and religious institutions have undertaken a review of all medical records of people who died while in the care of the State, to ensure that they died of natural causes and not due to brutality; if consideration has been given to exhuming the bodies in the cases of disputed deaths to use the new forensic technology to ensure nothing untoward occurred; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10060/06]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The function of the Residential Institutions Redress Board is to provide financial redress for persons who as children were subjected to abuse while resident in institutions which are listed in the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002.

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is mandated under legislation to conduct an inquiry into child abuse in the State, including the causes, nature, circumstances and extent of such abuse. The commission's inquiry is ongoing and will include consideration of deaths which occurred in institutions to the extent that this is relevant to the inquiry. The commission's investigation committee has the power to direct any person to discover documents it deems are required in order to carry out its inquiry and relevant documentation held by the Department of Education and Science on the abuse or neglect of children in industrial and reformatory schools was forwarded to the commission in compliance with a discovery order from the commission in June 2003.

The issue of exhuming bodies is covered by the Coroners Act 1962 and a body may only be exhumed on foot of an exhumation order made by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in accordance with section 47(1) of the Act.

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