Institutional Child Abuse Bill 2009

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The measure responds to the Ryan Report by recognising the State’s and religious congregations’ failure to protect children in residential care. It would broaden access to the redress scheme, including people who were children under the law at the time and those held in additional schools, homes or hospitals, while allowing late applications in specified circumstances. It would protect former residents from being disadvantaged by childhood detention records, preserve and gradually provide access to abuse-related records, and remove restrictions on telling their stories. It would also make records about the State’s indemnity agreement public, allow audits of the congregations’ assets, and require approval from both Houses of the Oireachtas for the destruction of records or changes to that agreement.

Formal long title

, bearing in mind the report of the Commission to inquire into child abuse and in particular the failure of the state and of religious congregations to protect children from abuse, recognising the pain and suffering endured by the former residents of institutions, that the Commission's report vindicates their claims of abuse and that crimes were committed by members of the religious congregations and others against children in state care, to amend the commission to inquire into Child Abuse Act 2000 and the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002; and to provide for connected matters

Last updated 17 April 2018