Voters want abuse survivors to have their day and see Government concern over the cost of justice as secondary, writes Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent.
With the Government now moving away from its contentious proposal to introduce "sampling" as a method of investigating child abuse, today's results from the Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll show that in the public mind it is doing the right thing.
Just 33 per cent support the proposal that the commission should investigate only sample cases of abuse in various institutions, and draw conclusions from them. Some 60 per cent support the victims' demand that it should investigate all of the 1,700 individual complaints made to it.
While the Government has pushed for the sampling method in recent months as a means of saving on legal fees and shortening the time to be taken by the commission, the strong opposition from the victims - backed up by the public in today's poll results - meant that politically it was on a loser. Public outrage at past abuse and support for the victims meant that cutting costs has come second to the demand for justice.
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has now told victims' groups this week that sampling is not now being considered as a means of investigation. Instead, it has been proposed that the commission be given powers to subpoena accused people to appear before its confidential committee where they might be confronted in private by their accusers.
Having such hearings before the confidential committee rather than the more formal and adversarial investigation committee will ensure that no lawyers need to be present, thus fulfilling the Government's desire to save costs. But the possibility of being able to confront their alleged abusers may satisfy many victims, although the alleged abusers would not be obliged to answer allegations.
The idea has been explored with religious congregations who appear to be favourably disposed provided none of their elderly, ill or disabled members are subpoenaed, and untraceable or deceased members are not named before the committee.
Survivor groups have been generally positive about these proposals, much, no doubt, to the relief of Mr Dempsey. Differences remain on whether deceased members of religious orders should be named.
However, the Minister must face a three-hour Dáil debate next Wednesday on the controversy surrounding the resignation earlier this month of Ms Justice Laffoy as chairwoman of the commission.
The judge said the Government was responsible for lengthy delays in the commission's work. This poll shows that more voters blame the Government rather than anyone else for the delays.
Some 36 per cent blame the Government, 31 per cent the religious orders and 14 per cent blame the legal profession for the delay. Just 4 per cent blame the commission itself, and 15 per cent have no opinion. Younger voters attach most blame to the Government, while supporters of the Government parties, unsurprisingly, are less inclined to blame the Coalition.
Public unhappiness at the behaviour of the religious orders may well have been heightened by yesterday's news that the full cost of compensation for abuse victims may run to €1 billion; almost exactly the same amount it will cost the Government to pay the benchmarking pay awards to over 200,000 public servants next year, for example. With the contribution of the religious orders to this cost capped at just over £120 million, it is the taxpayer that will have to pay the balance.
Meanwhile the poll also shows that support for the Government's proposed smoking ban has remained remarkably solid since last February despite a vigorous campaign against it by publicans.
Smokers are far from convinced, with 70 per cent against and just 29 per cent in favour, and 1 per cent have no opinion. The less well off and the young also oppose the ban by narrower margins.