Abuse probe will be expanded: Ahern

26 October 2005 12:04
The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has told the D?il that the planned inquiry into clerical sexual abuse in the Dublin diocese would be expanded to the rest of the country.
Mr Ahern said the Government had to be sure this could never happen again and that children would be safe from abuse.

Mr Ahern was responding to a question from the Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, during Leaders' Questions in the Dail.

He said the Government would move quickly to implement the recommendations of the Murphy report into allegations of child sex abuse by priests in the Ferns diocese.

The report, which was published yesterday afternoon, revealed that 21 priests had sexually abused young boys and girls in parishes across Co Wexford during the past 40 years.

T?naiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney has said she has an open mind about the issue of mandatory reporting of such abuse.

She said that while there was no existing mandatory reporting, she hoped that there was now a voluntary mandatory reporting culture.

One of the Ferns victims, Colm O'Gorman of the One in Four group, called for an investigation into abuse allegations in Dublin where he claimed priests use clerical teaching schools to access children.

The Minister for Justice promised in the D?il in 2003 that an inquiry in the capital would be carried out.

Mr O'Gorman said there was an absolute need for such an investigation.