The Government-appointed Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse will not now publish its extensive report until May of this year because its work has taken longer than expected, it said tonight.
An already delayed report on the abuse of children in reformatories, industrial schools and orphanages run by 18 Catholic religious congregations throughout the State had been expected from the commission next month.
In a statement, the commission said it was finalising its report, which it expected to consist of five volumes plus appendices. It said the report will be published “somewhat later than the commissioners hoped, in mid to late May 2009”.
“The work of the commission has taken longer than expected. The commission has asked the Government to extend the time for publishing the report to May 31st 2009 and is confident that this deadline will be met.
“If it is possible to bring the publication date forward, that will be done but it would be unrealistic to expect much earlier availability.”
The commission said it had not until now been able to make accurate predictions about printing and publication.
“The commissioners are very conscious of the importance and urgency of the report and they appreciate the patience shown by participants and by the public and their understanding of the difficulty and complexity of the commission’s undertaking.”
It said there would be “no significant extra cost because of the extension of time”.
Set up initially on an administrative basis in 1999, the commission was one of a number of measures aimed at addressing the effects of abuse in childhood on the victims.
It was placed on a statutory footing in 2000 with three main functions - to listen to victims of childhood abuse who want to recount their experiences to a sympathetic forum, to fully investigate all allegations of abuse made to it, except where the victim does not wish for an investigation and to publish a report on its findings to the general public.
The commission members are High Court judge Sean Ryan (chair), childcare director Norah Gibbons, clinical psychologist Fred Lowe, commissioner at the Law Reform Commission Marian Shanley, retired consultant paediatrician Prof Edward Tempany, social worker Anne McLoughlin and head social worker. Mary Fennessy.