Madam, - In your account of the Seanad debate on the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse the contribution of Dr Maurice Hayes is highlighted (October 8th). Dr Hayes is quoted as rejecting the view that, since it failed to police the system properly, the State now has to accept total responsibility for the wrongs that have occurred.
In my opinion, Dr Hayes's suggestion is simplistic because it ignores certain fundamental historical facts.
On July 23rd 1946 a Dublin TD, Mr Sean Brady, asked the then Minister for Justice (Mr G Boland) in the Dáil whether his attention had been drawn to criticisms of the country's prison and borstal systems reported to have been made by Mgr Flanagan during a recent visit to Ireland and published in the Irish newspapers, and of similar criticisms made on his return to the US and published in the New York press on July 17th 1946; and whether he had any statement to make.
The Mgr Flanagan referred to was the founder of the famous Boys Town institution in Omaha, Nebraska. A native of Co Roscommon, he was a world-renowned authority on child care and the treatment of juvenile delinquency. Mr de Valera is listed as being among the many distinguished visitors welcomed to the Flanagan establishment over the years.
Mr Boland confirmed that his attention had been drawn to the criticisms referred to, but asserted that during his recent stay in Ireland the monsignor did not see, nor did he ask to see, any of the institutions in question. It was therefore surprising, he felt, that in these circumstances an ecclesiastic of such standing should have thought it proper to describe in such offensive and intemperate language conditions about which he had no first-hand knowledge.
Mr Brady further asked whether the Minister's attention had been drawn to a statement made by Mgr Flanagan and published in the American press to the effect that physical punishment, the cat o'nine tails, the rod and the fist were used in reform schools both in the State and in Northern Ireland.
Mr Boland replied that he had a cutting from a paper, which contained a statement to that effect. He was not disposed to take any notice of what the priest had said while he was in this country, because his statements were so exaggerated that he (the Minister) did not think people would attach any importance to them. When, however, he continued to make use of statements of such a kind, he felt it was time that somebody should reply.
In response to further points made, Mr Boland declared: "All I have got to say is that these schools are under the management of religious orders, who are self-effacing people, and who do not require any commendation from me". (Dáil Éireann, Official Report, Volume 102, page 1,134).
The fact that successive Irish governments allowed another half-century to pass before taking any action unquestionably constitutes an abject failure of the State's duty of care towards a very vulnerable section of society, and leaves no doubt as to where responsibility now lies. - Yours, etc.,
PETER SCOTT, Fairview Heights, Dromore, Co Tyrone.