Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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38. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if there has been a full report or if she is planning to commission a report into allegations of abuse and neglect at a home (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15219/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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As the Deputy will be aware, a major investigation into historical child abuse has already been conducted by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. Its remit was to inquire into the abuse of children in institutions in the period 1940 to 1999. Its terms of reference were broad and the institutions covered included schools, industrial schools, reformatory schools, orphanages, hospitals, children’s home and any other place where children are cared for other than as members of their families.

Former residents of all such institutions were invited to engage with that Inquiry, as its terms of reference included all care settings outside of the family home. As was noted in that Commission’s final reports, investigations were conducted into all institutions where the number of complainants was more than 20. Where the number of complaints was less than 20 the Investigation Committee’s legal team interviewed the witnesses.

I understand that the institution to which the Deputy refers was within the scope of the Inquiry and that it was subsequently included in the list of institutions covered under the Residential institutions Redress Act, 2002. This scheme provided for the payment of fair and just rewards to persons who were victims of institutional abuse as children.

In these circumstances, I have no plans to commission any further investigation into this former residential home for children.