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MEP calls for redress scheme into historical abuse in schools to avoid 'adversarial' approach

Minister for Education Helen McEntee announced the Commission of Investigation this week.

POLITICIANS HAVE SAID that the redress scheme into the historical child sexual abuse in schools needs to be focused on victims and provide compensation as quickly as possible to survivors.

Minister for Education Helen McEntee announced the Commission of Investigation into allegations of historical abuse in every school across the country is set to be established.

McEntee said this week that any scheme “must” be funded by religious orders and schools where incidents of abuse happened.

Speaking on Saturday with Colm Ó Mongáin on RTÉ Radio One, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan said a “very adversarial approach” was taken in the past to such redress schemes which only served to further traumatise victims.

“Unfortunately, the history of the State is everything is just dragged out. It’s slow, it’s prolonged. People seem to have to fight every single step of the way,” Boylan said.

To counter this, Boylan said the redress scheme has to be “victim centered”, adding that it has to be “funded, properly resourced”, so there aren’t any delays.

Barry Ward, Fine Gael TD for Dún Laoghaire, told the programme that a key part of this week’s announcement was that it accepts anyone who was abused at any school, either State-run or religious-run.

“But the impact of that is that there is a greater liability potentially attaching to the State,” Ward said.

“We do not know at this stage how that’s going to be worked out. That is a matter that’s going to have to be agreed over the over the coming months or years,” he added.

“But I think what’s most important, and Helen McEntee was really clear about this when she announced the commission this week, it’s not going to delay the process in relation to redress, and so those survivors of sexual abuse know that that process is ongoing in tandem with the Commission, and the two will have to come to a conclusion as soon as possible.”

The politicians on the programme noted an Irish Times report today that senior civil servants were highly concerned by the potential bill facing the State over the liabilities.

Boylan said the State needed to be “open and frank” about the liability it faces and the abuse children faced, which was supported by People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy.

Murphy told the programme that, as regards religious-run institutions, he was concerned as there was a “history of Fianna Fail, in particular, who are in this government, but the establishment parties in this country effectively letting religious orders away with not paying these bills” when faced with claims by victims.

Mr Justice Michael McGrath has been appointed to chair the commission, which has a five-year time limit to complete its work. The chair, as well as additional commissioners, will be in place by 1 October.

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