The Labour Party has proposed a joint opposition motion of no confidence in the Government following what it said was "reprehensible" behaviour as well as neglect and obstruction in relation to the Laffoy commission.
The leader of the Labour Party, Mr Pat Rabbitte, said the new scheme outlined today by the Minister for Education for the resumption of the child abuse inquiry appeared to be "a crisis-driven regurgitation of measures considered by the Government last April following the completion of the first review".
"The Government itself then considered these measures inadequate," he said in a statement.
Mr Rabbitte said there was no reference in today's statement as to whether the second review was continuing, whether a new or narrower mandate for the Commission was being considered and what additional resources, if any, the Government proposed to allocate.
"Yesterday, the Minister for Education went on record to say that he proposed to introduce sampling, but today there is no mention of that.
"The essence of the process was always to allow victims to tell their stories, even on the investigative side of the Commission, and that is now to be replaced by sworn statements," Mr Rabbitte said.
"Even if this new scheme had any real value, there is no hope of it being enacted quickly since according to the Government they must await the outcome of a Supreme Court decision, in a case where the High Court has yet to give judgement."He said the investigation remained "in limbo" in the interim and there was no work it could legally and usefully do, contrary to the Minister for Education's assertions yesterday.
Mr Rabbitte said some of the provisions now proposed could, and should, have been made in the legislation of 2002. Other proposals, notably the expressed intention of expediting the "conclusion of the Christian Brothers' proceedings" were, said the Labour leader, "deeply worrying in their vagueness".
"In short, in the absence of serious consideration of Judge Laffoy's own original proposals of November 2002, these new measures offer little real hope of bringing closure to the many hundreds of our citizens who are suffering anxiety and distress."
Mr Rabbitte said that in over all terms the Government had "not only displayed a deep level of incompetence in the way it had handled the Commission, but had demonstrated that it "cannot be trusted".
"The legal and constitutional mess that has now been created will continue to blight the lives of victims. The Government, despite the Taoiseach's words earlier in the week, has failed to accept any responsibility whatever for this situation."
Accusing the Government of "neglect and obstruction" of the Laffoy commission, Mr Rabbitte said it was "astonishing" that the Government could make no response whatever to the detailed and practical proposals put forward by Ms Justice Laffoy last November.
Mr Rabbitte said the Government had been "totally disingenuous" in its presentation of its own role undermining the commission.
"It is essential that there be accountability for this affair, which has already caused too much suffering and distress. The Government's behaviour to date has been reprehensible and the package announced today does not deserve to be trumpeted as The Way Forward," Mr Rabbitte said.
He said he had written to the leaders of Fine Gael and the Green Party proposing that the three parties should jointly agree to table a motion of no confidence in the Government.
There was no immediate response from Fine Gael and the Green Party to Mr Rabbitte's proposal.