State accused of reneging on payment to abuse victims

Abuse survivor Louise O’Keeffe has accused the State of trying to renege on its responsibilities to people who were sexually abused as children in schools after it emerged that a Government compensation scheme set up four years ago has paid nothing to survivors.

Ms O’Keeffe, whose landmark European court ruling against the State led to the setting up of the redress fund, said those who have applied to the fund and been rejected — it is understood 44 of 50 applications have been rejected — are being denied an acknowledgement by the State that it left them down.