One in Four demands Govt action on Dáil hunger strike

One in Four, a support group for victims of child abuse, has called on the Government to take all the necessary steps to save the life of a man on hunger strike outside the Dáil.

Fifty-seven-year-old Tom Sweeney, who was abused as a child in the 1950s and 1960s, began the hunger strike three weeks ago in protest at his treatment by the Residential Institutions Redress Board.

Mr Sweeney had originally been offered €113,000 in compensation, but this was reduced to around €70,000 after he chose to tell his story to the board.

Speaking about the matter today, One in Four director Colm O’Gorman said it would be unthinkable if Mr Sweeney was to die because of the Government’s failure to act.

"What’s essential is that [the] Government take whatever steps they need to take to resolve the situation," he said.

"I know they have had sensible proposals put forward to them that would end the hunger strike and would allow Tom to get some medical attention and I’d call on the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, and indeed the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to act urgently on these proposals."