Statement of the Minister for Education on receipt of the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Schools

The Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD, has this afternoon received the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders from its independent Lead, Ms. Mary O’Toole SC.

Minister Foley said: "The Report of the Scoping Inquiry is a substantial body of work, comprising 26 chapters across five volumes, and is over 700 pages in length. I am immensely grateful to the survivors who participated in the Scoping Inquiry and I am heartened to see that their contributions are foregrounded in the report. I am deeply conscious of the enormous trauma suffered by all survivors of sexual abuse and have always been clear that their voices would be central to the Scoping Inquiry’s Report."

The Minister added: "My thoughts today are with all survivors, and especially with those whose stories are contained within the report. I want to acknowledge in particular the late Mark Ryan, who, with his brother David, has been instrumental in the establishment of the Scoping Inquiry. Sadly, Mark did not live to see the outcome of the work that he did so much to set in train. He is very much in our thoughts today.

"I know that sexual abuse has had horrific and devastating consequences for far too many people. It has ruined lives, divided families and friendships, affected relationships and marriages and undermined people's careers. Historical sexual abuse is still having an ongoing effect on the lives of so many today."

Minister Foley acknowledged the work of the Scoping Inquiry team, saying: "I would like to thank Mary O’Toole, Kieran McGrath and their teams for the enormous amount of work that they have done in completing the report. I would also like to acknowledge One in Four and thank them for the significant support provided throughout the process.

"It is clear that this extensive report is enormously detailed and some time will be required to give it careful consideration."

"However, I am also aware of the importance of this report to those who participated in the survivor engagement process and other survivors. I do not intend to delay its publication any longer than absolutely necessary. Following consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, the next step will be to seek government approval to publish the report in the shortest possible timeframe. Be assured I will keep you informed as I progress this work."

Notes for Editors

In March 2023, the Scoping Inquiry was established to inform the Government response to revelations of historical sexual abuse in a number of day and boarding schools run by religious orders. The Scoping Inquiry is independently led by Mary O’Toole SC.

The Scoping Inquiry had a number of areas of focus:

A Survivor Engagement Process led by Kieran McGrath, an independent child protection expert, was central to the work of the Scoping Inquiry.
The Scoping Inquiry was asked to engage with religious orders as part of a consideration of the extent of complaints or allegations of historical sexual abuse made against all religious orders and in as much as is possible, of the likelihood and possible volume of further complaints or allegations emerging. The Scoping Inquiry’s Terms of Reference also required engagement with the religious orders to establish the level and extent of co-operation with any proposed inquiry.
The Scoping Inquiry was asked to commission a report into child protection frameworks and systems, including historical context and current practices.
The Terms of Reference of the Scoping Inquiry required it to commission a report on restorative justice, as it was required to carry out ‘a critical analysis and audit of the response of religious orders to historical sexual abuse allegations by way of Restorative Justice Schemes and other initiatives/supports, to include recommendations for appropriate standards for such responses’.
The Scoping Inquiry also carried out extensive research into previous inquiries carried out in Ireland and internationally including their impact on survivors and their families and assessing options for an appropriate government response.

The Scoping Inquiry was announced in response to the revelations of historical sexual abuse in the RTÉ Documentary on One: Blackrock Boys, which featured the story of Mark and David Ryan, two brothers who had been sexually abused as children. The documentary, which was produced by Liam O’Brien with Séan Mac Giolla Phádraig, was broadcast on 7th November 2022 and in the following weeks, dozens of survivors of sexual abuse in that school and others came forward.

The Scoping Inquiry was initially due to report to Minister Foley on 7th November 2023 but the Lead requested additional time as the volume of information gathered in the Survivor Engagement process and other workstreams was very substantial and further time for analysis was required. The Minister agreed to an extension to 7th June 2024 and the report has now been delivered within the agreed timeframe.