Richard Bruton replies to Louise O’Keeffe sex abuse ruling

Education Minister Richard Bruton has sent a response to a former High Court judge’s request for a justification of the Government’s controversial interpretation of a European ruling in the Louise O’Keeffe school sex abuse case.

Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O’Neill asked the minister two months ago to provide a submission by the end of March setting out how its requirement that claimants for ex-gratia payments from the State for historic sex abuse as school pupils must show that their abuser was the subject of a prior complaint.

This condition has been imposed by the State in a scheme it says is in keeping with the 2014 European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) finding in Ms O’Keeffe’s favour.