Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 441: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the action the Government proposes taking to implement the recommendation contained in the report published on 11 December 2007 into services provided by the Brothers of Charity in Galway and the physical and sexual abuse of intellectually disabled children in the period 1965 to 1998 in institutions run by the Brothers; the reason there was an unaccountable delay of eight years in the publication of the report; and her views on whether the report is comprehensively addressing allegations raised in the circumstances in which just 21 victims of alleged abuse were interviewed although 135 residents in Brothers of Charity institutions have sought compensation through the Redress Board. [35383/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the report to which he refers was not commissioned by my Department but by the Health Authorities and, consequently, my Department had no involvement in establishing the terms of reference of the Inquiry. I am therefore not in a position to comment on the details of the report or the reasons for any delay in its publication. The Redress Board is independent in the performance of its functions and the legislation governing its operation prohibits me from making any comment in relation to the application process or the number of claims arising out of attendance at a specific institution.

The report makes one recommendation in relation to my Department to the effect that our Child Protection Guidance would be reviewed to reflect the position of children with special needs especially those with intellectual disability. My Department's current guidelines for schools are set in the context of the National Guidelines, "Children First" which highlights the particular vulnerability of certain categories of children including those with disabilities. My Department will review its guidelines following the finalisation of the current review of "Children First" and will also liaise with the Department of Health & Children in this context.