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Updated at 7.35am
THE TERMS OF reference in the forthcoming inquiry into the Grace case have been amended after angry exchanges in the Dáil and suggestions that they weren’t fit for purpose in their original form.
The revised terms of reference for the Commission of Investigation were agreed by Cabinet yesterday evening, the Government confirmed.
The new terms were circulated to TDs last night. There will be two phases:
The new terms will be made available on the Department of Health website from later today, it’s planned. They will be debated and voted on in the Dáil at 12.45pm.
Dáil row
Yesterday, Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath agreed to return to Cabinet to draft fresh terms after TDs John Deasy and John McGuinness harshly criticised the terms as they stood.
Waterford Fine Gael TD Deasy has been heavily involved in the Grace case since it first came to light more than 12 months ago.
Deasy’s speech primarily concerned a dressing-down of the HSE over what he described as “misleading” evidence given to the Public Accounts Committee in relation to the case of Grace, a woman who was left in an abusive foster home in the southeast of the country for 20 years.
Speaking in the aftermath of those exchanges, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that “clearly there are appalling circumstances here”.
Gavan Reilly / TwitterMcGuinness says he won't be supporting the terms of reference and that the Dáil should be ashamed of passing them if it does.
— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) March 8, 2017
“I want to make this clear, the Government and Minister McGrath are quite open to having this commission of investigation to deal with other cases, many of these have not had any statutory investigation into them,” he said.
You can take it that the Government are quite open to having everybody necessary included in this.
He said he wants to make it “crystal clear” that the Government are quite willing to include others, but said that Grace is being treated as a priority and as evidence and new information comes to light, others will be included in the investigation.
The scope of the investigation was criticised for not going far enough earlier in the week when the original terms of reference were first published.
Speaking at the time McGrath claimed that the issue was the most important of his political career.
The debate yesterday finished 30 minutes ahead of schedule as no other TDs elected to follow Deasy and McGuinness.
Additional reporting Christina Finn, Sean Murray. This article was originally published yesterday and updated this morning.
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Why did the government have the terms of reference for the years 2009 onwards .. why not further back? Who is being protected and why ? Because if they do not go back further then grace and all others are still victims of a cover up… Shameful…
Noonan obviously
All Noonan is interested in is stuffing himself full of steaks/pies/burgers etc and rounding it off by making an utter fool of himself every Thursday night in South’s pub in Limerick
Noonan: every time the Minster for Health is mentioned on Rte in this context he’s never named.. which is surprising as they are quick to name every other health minister when ever an issue arrives.
@Christy Bollard: Not just Noonan. Some other minister of State of Ignorance were
Brendan Howlin,
Brian Cowen,
Micheál Martin,
Mary Harney,
James Reilly
Leo Varadkar
Guess there are too many vested interests to let the truth come out.
Why are there never Garda investigations, only commissions of enquiries that brush everything under the carpet. The Dail needs clearing out, drain that swamp!
There are so many crimes that Michael Noonan would be serving life sentences for, in a functioning democracy, if he was brought to account for the incompetence that led to torture that he had a direct hand in. Deasy and McGuiness support a tenuous government – force them to bring in the Garda commissioner and outline the criminal investigations and why they are not testing Grace and Tuam as crimes, or else quit supporting the government and force an election.
@Gulliver Foyle: Terms of reference are designed to stop bringing the real truth out in inquiries.
Don’t see any details above whether the terms have been changed in relation to years it’s going to cover.. because if it still 2009 onwards . Ask again why and you is being protected?
@LITTLEONE: Someone is being protected! I am a survivor of the industrial abuse scandals and also the mother of a special needs child – I am so frightened for my son’s future if anything were to happen to me – I live in fear everyday as we never learn in this Country – if you don’t learn from the past you just keep making the same mistake over and over again – the government even want to close the files on the industrial abuse victims for about 75 years so haw can one learn if the information is hidden – and all of the investigations one after another they only people that win are the Judiciary.
Tighten the lid lad! We need to quash this one fast. There could be legal exposure.
FG’s number 1 priority is to protect their own and their friends.
Even at the expense of someone being sexually abused over a 20 year period.
Says it all really.
This country will never bloody grow up and continue to be a developing country until people are held accountable for their actions. It’s obviously the cause of scandal after scandal. If you know you will never be punished for incompetence it will continue indefinitely. I don’t usually rant here but am bloody sick of the ‘shock horror’ fakery as the latest one rolls in. Grrgh
@Lucy Legacy: Yes politicians are really concerned about this.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/dil-debate-on-tuam-babies-scandal-delayed-as-fewer-than-20-tds-show-up-35515795.html
Sick of the government and its “commissions” and “Inquiries” all designed to make sure those responsible, those who knew, and those who covered up, are never held accountable.
Grace was a victim of criminal sexual abuse for a long period of time, helpless and a victim. Social workers did not want her placed in that so called home. Noonan seen to it that this decision was overturned. He is primarily to blame for the abuse, not the HSE.
But at all costs Noonan must be protected, because he made sure Grace had no protection.
This cover up is nearly as bad as the abuse suffered by Grace.
I would like to ask a genuine question.
If an ordinary girl reported that she was being sexually abused by someone, there would be an immediate Garda investigation, a court case and a prosecution.
If a girl under state care reports that she was being sexually abused by someone, the Garda are not involved, there is some toothless “commission of inquiry” or the like and nobody is ever taken to court or prosecuted.
Why is this the case?
I think the modus operandi is to keep it on file in case they need to put a whistle blowers name on it. Sickened that I live in a country where this is not a joke.
@Shakka1244: I can assure you that if a girl in state care makes any report, the Garda are involved straight away, this woman has severe learning difficulties and never made any report, HSE staff, day care staff and social workers raised their concerns and were ignored, It was only after the death of the abuser, the male head of the foster family, that the case came out, I would imagine this was so he could not be prosecuted, so who was this man? who is he connected to? why had he such power? any journalist interested in this, revealing the abuser and his powerful connections?
@Charlotte Warrington:
It would seem that protecting reputations and the status quo is more important than truth and justice in Ireland.
You can’t assure anything Charlotte. 20 years this girl was abused and was allowed to be abused by our state. By our minister for health at the time. Some strong fine words from you but simply not true.
Do we not have detectives to investigate crimes anymore?? Edna says nobody has sat on a report previously but we are still awaiting the Moriarty tribunal report to come out so forgive me when I don’t believe him his terms of reference or his word!! This should be investigated by the law
So Junior Minister McGrath has done an about turn less than 24 hours after assuring the public on RTE Radio One’s lunchtime news that he was happy with the initial terms of reference. Nobody would be excluded. Not the case in tbe Dail this morning.
@Ken don’t be surprised by Finian McGraths about turns. He’s Ednapendent now he’s a minister you know!! I am still waiting for him to achieve anything for our disabled people.
What government?
A failed state has no functioning government neither has a Banana Republic and unfortunately we are somewhere in between.
When will this government wake up to the reality that atrocities have been committed and restricting this enquiry is prolonging the process of discovery. I firmly believe that this should be a criminal case not an enquiry people should be in prison as should others who have committed offences towards children vulnerable adults mothers and babies patients in mental hospitals. Sealing the records covering up past atrocities stop treating the irish people as fools we want this disgraceful government administration plus the HSE and so called religious organisations to own up and stop the cover ups. I hope the people responsible do jail time not one person has gone to prison for past or present atrocities committed against this women or the irish people I hope she is safe now.
Bob Gelfof was right all those years ago .A banana republic,run by primary school teachers
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