Tánaiste: Religious orders cannot 'plead the poor mouth' and must contribute to school abuse redress 

Tánaiste Simon Harris said the Government will seek to have religious orders pay towards the scheme. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA

Religious orders at the centre of any redress scheme "cannot plead the poor mouth" and must pay their share of the bill, the Tánaiste has said.

The Government last week announced that a commission of investigation into the handling of sexual abuse in schools was to be established, following a scoping inquiry last year that detailed almost 2,400 allegations of sexual abuse across more than 300 religious schools.