Abuse commission to run until 2008

THE Commission on Child Abuse has been given an extension of three years beyond its current closing date of May 2005, the Government said yesterday.

The Cabinet at its weekly meeting yesterday agreed to grant the extension to 2008, in the wake of a request made by the Commission to the Minister for Education Mary Hanafin.

The request for an extension was conveyed to the Minister by the Commission’s chairman Justice Seán Ryan.

The Commission was of the view that the volume of cases - in addition to the recent decision to extend the enquiry to further institutions - would not have allowed it to complete its work by May 2005.

However, the Commission indicated to Ms Hanafin that it would be in a position to prepare its final report in advance of the new 2008 deadline.

Yesterday, the Government spokesperson did not exclude the possibility of interim reports being published.

Minister Hanafin will now arrange for a draft order for the extension and will then seek an Oireachtas resolution approving the draft in line with the current legislation.

The Government pointed out that the three year extension needed to be viewed in the context of initial predictions for the length that the enquiry would take.

In 2002, the Commission estimated that under its then remit and with existing resources, the Enquiry would take a further 11 years to complete.

When then Education Minister Noel Dempsey initiated a review, it led to a serious dispute between the Minister and the chairperson, Justice Mary Laffoy, who resigned her position late last year.