Grace probe to include 46 extra cases after U-turn
SOME 46 extra cases are to be added to the ‘Grace’ commission of investigation into sexual and other abuse at a foster care home in the southeast, after a ministerial U-turn yesterday.
Finian McGrath, Minister of State for Disability Issues, was forced to change tack following withering criticism from the children’s charity Barnardos as well as cross-party TDs.
Mr McGrath had secured Cabinet agreement for a probe into the reported 20-year abuse of the now vulnerable adult, named only as ‘Grace’, with other cases excluded in the first instance. However, following a backlash to that exclusion, the minister withdrew the proposed terms of reference.
A broader framework will be tabled today after consultation with all parties. Fergus Finlay, the chief executive of Barnardos, went on RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland yesterday to denounce the limitations of the probe, while Fine Gael TD for Waterford John Deasy called for them to be withdrawn.
Mr McGrath faced sustained criticism yesterday from TDs in the Dáil before withdrawing the proposed terms. He was later defended by the Taoiseach, who said: ‘Minister McGrath made a genuine attempt.’ Enda Kenny added: ‘The Government is prepared to amend the terms of reference to the suitability of everybody. He wants to get it right.’
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said he accepted the good intentions of Mr McGrath.
‘The motion has now been withdrawn and that gives us an opportunity to deal with some of the outstanding issues,’ he said.
Mr Martin said it had also emerged that there was a ‘suppression of information’ or an alleged cover-up by the authorities from the latter half of the 1990s, but ‘for some unknown reason’ the probe’s envisaged time frame was 2009 to last year.
The recent Dignam Report had recommended that it should investigate what happened from 1996 to 2016. ‘There is no explanation for the variation,’ said Mr Martin. It is now expected that the starting date will be 1996.
Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane said there had been ‘horrific levels of abuse’ against not only Grace but ‘many others as well’.
When the allegations of a coverup were first raised by social workers – known as Ms D and Ms E – there was a danger of the deliberate destruction of files and threats to their agencies’ funding from the HSE, he claimed, adding: ‘What was the response of the authorities? They passed on the allegations to the very section against which they had been made. That is quite incredible.’
Mr Cullinane continued: ‘When the Dignam Report was first published, the HSE said that the report did not find any instances of wrongdoing or fault. Ever since, it has had to backtrack almost with every passing day.
‘As we know, it did find instances of wrongdoing or fault. The Dignam Report identified several failures in the previous reports, including inadequate terms of reference, meaning the scope of the reviews was hampered.
‘The possibility that the evidence was destroyed is also deeply disturbing.’ Mr Cullinane also noted that senior counsel Conor Dignam did not have powers of compellability and was ‘entirely reliant’ on the HSE – ‘in other words, reliant on others to implicate themselves in wrongdoing’, he said.
Mr McGrath said: ‘I want to get to the truth of this matter. I am supporting Grace and the other families, as well.
‘I have been an advocate for people with disabilities for over 25 years and I will continue to fight for truth, justice, quality services and accountability. I will include everybody and let their voices be heard. I do not do exclusion.’
Comment – Page 12 senan.molony@dailymail.ie
‘Horrific levels of abuse’