Fitzgerald hints at legal move over abuse

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald has opened up the possibility of criminal action in response to the Áras Attracta scandal after it emerged that a 12th worker at the home has been suspended over abuse claims.

At the launch of the new family law courts site, Ms Fitzgerald said “clearly the gardaí will be examining it if there are any criminal justice issues in relation to the actions” at the facility, which were uncovered by an RTÉ hidden-camera exposé.

Ms Fitzgerald said that she has been out of the country in recent days attending a European conference and, as such, was “not fully up to date” on the deepening controversy.