Government caught in conundrum over child abuse inquiry

Political Editor Harry McGee says that while Noel Dempsey may be right in saying that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’, it is clear from the Laffoy letter of resignation that the Government can be accused of causing that very thing it claimed it wanted to avoid.

NOEL DEMPSEY drew on one of the few genuinely evocative legal sayings when justifying his decision last week to launch a second review of the remit of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse.

"Justice delayed is justice denied," the Education Minister intoned in a sentence that was widely reported the following morning. The commission, he said, could last eight to 11 years if allowed continue under its present setup.