Report will be key to scale of the 'Grace' inquiry

Decades of sexual abuse of a woman with severe intellectual disabilities who lived in foster care is alleged to have been covered up. An independent review is set to conclude in the coming days, paving the way for a State investigation.

The Irish Examiner understands the Conor Dignam report, which is examining the ‘Grace’ controversy, is set to be handed to new Health Minister, Simon Harris, and Disability Minister, Finian McGrath, freeing up the Government to act on its pre-election commitment to a full inquiry.

As previously reported by this newspaper, the ‘Grace’ case involves a single foster-care family, in the south-east, which looked after 47 children and adults with severe intellectual disabilities, between 1983 and 2009.

In 1992, the then South Eastern Health Board became aware of concerns about the family, and in 1995 removed all of the people in their care.

However, one woman, given the pseudonym ‘Grace’, and who turned 18 in 1996, was left with the family for 14 more years, and suffered severe sexual abuse as a result.

The woman, who is mute and has the mental capacity of a young child, is believed to have been repeatedly raped, assaulted with a blunt object, and forced to live, at times, in the cubby hole under the family’s stairs.

A second woman, whose family was not told of the allegations, was also later found to be receiving care at the home.

Last June, on foot of claims that the case had been covered up by senior officials, then health minister, Leo Varadkar, and then minister of state for disabilities, Kathleen Lynch, appointed independent senior counsel, Conor Dignam, to review two HSE-commissioned reports into what happened.

Neither of the reports, which cost in excess of €300,000 and which were drawn up by individuals with links to health-service management in the south-east at the time of the scandal, have ever been published.

Mr Dignam was due to complete his work by last December. However, because of the scale of the information involved, he was given extra resources and also given a new deadline, of June, to complete his work.

In a statement, a Department of Health spokesperson confirmed that this report is expected to be handed over to Mr Harris and Mr McGrath over the coming days.

The spokesperson said it will be key to “informing” a promised, State commission of inquiry into the events, and is expected to now be signed-off by cabinet this month, before its terms of reference are put to the Dáil and Seanad.

“On February 2 last, the last government approved, in principle, the establishment of a commission of investigation, relating to a former foster home in the south-east of the country.

“The Government’s approval was given, subject to a further decision on detailed terms of reference, timelines, and costs, which are to be informed by the work being undertaken by Conor Dignam, senior counsel, into related matters,” the spokesperson said.

“Following the decision by government, concerning the establishment of a statutory commission of investigation, in early February, additional resources were allocated to Mr Dignam to allow him to accelerate the completion of his report.

“Mr Dignam was also asked to identify matters that would assist in framing the terms of reference for the commission of investigation, and to take take that into account in undertaking his work.

“On April 27, Minister of State Kathleen Lynch granted a request from Mr Dignam for some additional time to finalise his report. It is now expected at the end of May and will be considered in detail at that point,” she added.

The Dignam report — which is based on a review of the existing case files and on interviews with people central to the allegations — will be key to outlining the scale and scope of the State inquiry into the ‘Grace’ foster-care abuse claims.

Despite being promised on February 2 this year, such an investigation has not been possible, because the report has yet to conclude and the Government’s cabinet must sign off on setting up any inquiry.

The Irish Examiner understands that the planned commission of inquiry will be strongly influenced by the Dignam report, and will either limit or extend its own terms of reference, if the senior counsel finds a wider examination of Ireland’s foster-care system is also required.

The Department of Health has held off on confirming whether it will expand such an inquiry to examine other cases. This is despite further concerns, earlier this month, about a person with significant disabilities who remained at a separate foster home for 19 months after sexual abuse allegations were made.

This separate case, based in Cork, is now the subject of another review by the HSE and Tusla.