Red flag raised over failure to report complaint

THE red flag which initiated a HSE audit into the diocese of Cloyne was a notification to the Department of Health of the failure of that diocese to report an allegation of abuse to the child protection services of the HSE.

The subsequent investigation revealed there were in fact four alleged offenders, and that Bishop John Magee had in his failure to report to the HSE, not complied with child protection legislation.

The audit, published yesterday, finds four priests have been the subject of investigations by the gardaí, but that none of those cases were perused by the DPP.