Government to Investigate Historical Sexual Abuse in Schools

The Government is to establish a commission of investigation into allegations of historical sexual abuse in schools across the country. Further work will be carried out to examine the matter of financial redress, and how any future scheme could be funded. The details of the Commission of Investigation are set to be outlined by Minister for Education Helen McEntee after Cabinet. The commitment to establish a commission is contained in the Programme for Government. A scoping inquiry found more than 2,000 allegations of abuse at over 300 schools. Mr Justice Michael MacGrath has been appointed as the chair of the commission by Minister McEntee. A letter to survivors involved in the Scoping Inquiry, seen by RTÉ News, confirmed that the Government had approved the formal establishment of the Commission of Investigation. The Terms of Reference and how the commission will go about its work are expected to be published online later today. Mr Justice MacGrath was appointed to the High Court in 2018 and has been a judge on the Court of Appeal since 2024. Minister for Education Helen McEntee will outline the details of the Commission of Investigation. He attended University College Dublin, where he later lectured in law. As a judge, he has presided over civil cases, including commercial law, regulatory law, judicial review, family law, Hague Convention matters, employment law, and medical negligence. On the criminal side, he has presided over trials in the Special Criminal Court and jury trials in the Central Criminal Court between 2020 and 2024. The letter states that the Commission of Investigation will be independent in its operation and will have its own working methods and procedures and that when the commission begins its work formally in the coming months, it will be widely advertised. Terms of Reference inquiry's recommendations. The Terms of Reference of the newly announced Commission of Investigation closely reflect the recommendations of the Scoping Inquiry. Further recommendations of the Scoping Inquiry have also been accepted by Government. These include that the Commission examine the handling of allegations, suspicions and concerns of historical sexual abuse in schools, and that it consider all primary and post-primary schools, have been accepted by Government. The Commission of Investigation will undertake \"preliminary work\" over the coming months, and will seek initial expressions of interest from people who may wish to provide information to it in due course. An Inter-Departmental Group (IDG) was established to examine the recommendations of the Scoping Inquiry and it has advised that further recommendations relating to child protection, survivors' experiences of the justice and legal system, support for survivors and commemoration and memorialisation be accepted. The Scoping Inquiry report recommended that consideration be given by government to establishing a redress scheme for survivors of historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders. The Government considered that a further phase of detailed investigation and data analysis on this issue will be essential, particularly given the expressed wish of many survivors that those running schools where sexual abuse occurred should be held accountable financially. Minister to ensure commission does not go over time. Meanwhile, Minister McEntee said the Terms of Reference were set out very clearly to ensure the commission does not go over time. \"There is a very clear pause within the first two years to make sure that the Commission can highlight any problems that arise. But also it works both ways, that the minister can then identify if issues are emerging, how the work is being done, and whether or not that will result in an outcome that is appropriate.\" She said a further body of work was needed in relation to establishing a redress scheme for survivors, but in the event of it being established, it would be funded by religious orders and those who \"are accountable for the awful abuses which happened in our schools.\" She said: \"The work that is happening in parallel is further examination of the religious orders, what funds they have, what assets they have, what levers may be used by governments to ensure that funding is provided by those religious groups and orders.\" \"And it's only after that that obviously a decision would have to be taken on a redress scheme,\" Minister McEntee added.