Legislation to seal millions of child abuse records for 75 years was drafted so “all possible provisions” of the National Archives Act, which allows the public or State bodies to access records, would be disapplied.

Controversial new laws to seal the testimony of those abused in residential institutions for 75 years are to be debated in the Dáil today.

Thousands of testimonies relating to child abuse in institutions and related records should be redacted and anonymised, instead of being sealed for 75 years.

When, on Wednesday, Northern Ireland secretary Karen Bradley insisted that killings by the British army or police during the Troubles were “not crimes” she gave a perfect example of what happens when politicians are ill-informed and have no empathy with their brief. Despite her immediate apology, the blunder suggests she is hardly the person

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Education Minister Joe McHugh have sought to defend a “dangerous” decision to seal records of testimonies relating to child abuse in residential institutions for 75 years.

The Supreme court has turned down an application by a former resident of an industrial School who during the 1960's was raped by her step-grandfather for leave to legally challenge the decision not to award her redress for the attacks.

THE Government yesterday rejected claims it had signed a secret deal with the Catholic Church over child sex abuse compensation that could cost the taxpayer up to €1 billion.