The Government needs to improve childcare provision for working families, according to Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, who said he was sorry if he caused confusion with his remarks on the issue in recent days.

The country's Catholic bishops are to hold an extraordinary meeting this morning to prepare for Pope Benedict's pastoral letter on the fallout from the Murphy Report.

Irish bishops have been hauled before Vatican chiefs in the wake of devastating child abuse scandals, it was revealed today.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is withholding funding from a Cork-based group representing survivors of institutional abuse until it can prove it can manage these monies appropriately.

Hundreds of child abuse victims in the North demanded a full inquiry today into the mistreatment they suffered in institutions run by the Catholic Church and the state.

The High Court has today ordered that one chapter referring to one person in the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation report should not be published.

The High Court will decide later this morning whether the contents of the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation report can be published in full.

One of the country’s leading summer schools is to honour victims of clerical child abuse, it was revealed today.

The Comptroller and Auditor General says the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse could end up costing the State as much as €136m.

The Government has established a three-person panel to assess the statements of resources submitted by religious orders named in the Ryan Report into institutional child abuse.

Children’s Minister Barry Andrews today insisted Irish people no longer have the deference towards the Catholic Church that allowed institutional child abuse to thrive for decades.

A national memorial will be erected in Ireland for tens of thousands of children who were abused over decades in church-run institutions, it was announced today.

The 18 religious orders named in the Ryan report have moved to clarify reports that they have failed to disclose their financial details to the Government.

The 18 religious orders involved in the controversial child abuse indemnity deal are due to meet the Taoiseach today to update him on their plans to make further contributions towards victims.

A Co Offaly priest has reportedly upset parishioners by disparaging children sent to the notorious Daingean reformatory.

Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe apologised today to the thousands of victims of child abuse in church-run institutions, claiming the department had failed them.

Victims of child abuse in church-run institutions will today hand a petition to the head of the Conference of Religious of Ireland.

Organisers of a silent demonstration in memory of victims of clerical abuse in church-run institutions will leave children’s shoes piled at the Dáil railings following the march.

Cardinal Sean Brady and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin told their colleagues today that the Pope was "very upset" to hear the details of the Ryan Report.

Ireland's Catholic bishops are due to be briefed today on last week's discussions between the Pope and two senior church leaders in Rome last week.

A former student of Pope Benedict today branded clerics who ran abusive institutions as the “dregs of society”.

Meetings between the Catholic church hierarchy and the Pope in the Vatican reflected the seriousness of the Ryan report, the church said today.

The Pope has met with the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland Cardinal Sean Brady and the Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin to discuss the Ryan report on child abuse.

Religious orders will pay substantial funds into a dedicated trust in a belated attempt to make amends to thousands of victims of abusive priests and nuns.

The Taoiseach says he has asked the religious congregations involved in institutional child abuse to give a clear and unequivocal response to demands for more compensation for victims.

Representatives of institutional child abuse victims have described a meeting with the Taoiseach yesterday evening as "very positive".

The Christian Brothers were reportedly continuing to deny that any abuse occurred in their institutions right up until the publication of the Ryan Report two weeks ago.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen is due to hold talks this evening with groups representing victims of institutional child abuse.

The Taoiseach is refusing to speculate on whether or not the Government will be looking to make a 50/50 deal with the 18 religious orders named in the Ryan report.

A senior Christian Brother leader today backed growing demands for criminal prosecutions against those responsible for decades of child abuse in church-run schools.

The 18 religious orders named in the Ryan report have said they are committed to making further contributions to those who were abused in their care.

Six leading advocacy and abuse groups have sought a complete overhaul of child protection services in the wake of the Ryan Report into institutional child abuse.

A delegation of children's charities and victims' groups is due to meet the Minister for Children Barry Andrews today to discuss the fallout from the final report of the Child Abuse Commission.

Religious orders damaged the nation’s most vulnerable children and abused human dignity, Cori director Fr Sean Healy said today.

One of the Catholic church’s most high-profile campaigners today broke his week-long silence over the child abuse scandal to back calls for more victim compensation.

A leading figure in the Conference of Religious in Ireland has said the religious orders involved in the abuse of children must be prepared to consider giving more money to the Government's redress scheme.

A number of religious orders whose members abused children in care institutions have agreed to engage with the Government about contributing more to victims.

A second disgraced religious order involved in the clerical child abuse scandal agreed today to join the Christian Brothers in reviewing how it should make amends to victims.

The Oblate Order, which ran the infamous Daingean Reformatory, says it will respond positively to the Taoiseach's comments last night.

The Government is set to hold talks with various religious orders in an effort to get to pay more to deal with the fallout from widespread child abuse in state-owned institutions.

The Christian Brothers, the worst offenders in the clerical child abuse scandal, tonight bowed to intense pressure and agreed to look for a possible new deal to make amends to its victims.

The Taoiseach has said that religious orders have a “moral responsibility” to do more to compensate the victims of child abuse in state-run institutions.

The Christian Brothers have issued an apology to all those who were abused while in their care.

Education Minister Batt O’Keefe has said he is hoping for “significant developments” on the issue of compensation for victims of child abuse in industrial schools.