The only delay in publishing a report into sustained sexual abuse at a residential home in Donegal is due to gardaí, the Dáil has heard.
The report, from the HSE’s National Independent Review Panel (NIRP), found the Ard Gréine Court complex and Sean O’Hare Unit in St Joseph’s hospital in Stranorlar had allowed sexual abuse to continue “unabated”.
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney told the Dáil during leader’s questions that the report identified 108 cases of sexually inappropriate behaviours by one resident.
The cases were against 18 residents of the facility between 2003- 2011 with the assaults happening with the full knowledge of staff and management in the facility at the time.
The accused person was referred to by the pseudonym Brandon.
“The purpose was to review the governance arrangements of the facility and understand why the situation had continued over a period of years without any effective action taken by management during Brandon’s residency to stop and prevent these highly traumatic assaults,” Mr Coveney said.
The publication of the report has since been delayed, despite pleas from the families involved, due to an issue raised by An Garda Síochána, he added.
The report, from the HSE’s National Independent Review Panel, found the Ard Gréine Court complex and Sean O’Hare Unit in St Joseph’s hospital in Stranorlar had allowed sexual abuse to continue ‘unabated’.
The report, from the HSE’s National Independent Review Panel, found the Ard Gréine Court complex and Sean O’Hare Unit in St Joseph’s hospital in Stranorlar had allowed sexual abuse to continue ‘unabated’.
“The Government is very aware of the trauma that many individuals and families continue to go through in the context of this issue, and the families will get to see a full report and we want that to happen as soon as possible,” Mr Coveney said.
“Local gardaí wrote to the HSE on Thursday, November 4, requesting that the HSE continued to maintain the agreement not to publish the detailed executive summary until they completed their process. Separately, An Garda Síochána wrote to the HSE on Friday, November 5, indicating that there was a factual inaccuracy in the executive summary, which they indicated should be corrected and are requesting a copy of the full report.
“Their correspondence is being sent to the chair of the NIRP who drafted the reports and executive summary for her attention. At this point, the only pause on progressing full publication is the specific grant request of An Garda Siochana.”
He said if the chair of the NIRP is satisfied the report is accurate, then there will be no need for any further delay.
Mr Coveney added that Minister for Disabilities Anne Rabbitte was “very keen” to ensure the report was published as soon as possible and that, “if there are any issues that need to be addressed between gardaí and the chair of the NIRP and the HSE, they need to be addressed quickly”.
“Families deserve to get the full truth and to see this full report, not an executive summary or an extended executive summary, but the full report, they have already been through enough in relation to this case,” he added.
“There does need to be political input to ensure that the full, unvarnished truth in relation to what happened here and the responsibility that comes with that, in terms of those who are in positions of decision making, needs to be published, and it needs to be transparent. That’s the least the families deserve.”
Anne Rabbitte met with families on Friday on a one-to-one basis to discuss the events.
The HSE has assured the minister there is no ongoing risk to service users and the national governance and accountability structures to oversee implementation of the recommendations arising from the report, are in place.
Later in the day, Minister Anne Rabbitte called on the HSE in the Dáil to publish the report in full.
“I will also use this opportunity to once again ask the HSE to reconsider its position on the Brandon Report and publish it in full, and not just the Executive Summary,” she said.
“Why they will not shift their position is beyond me and I would hope they will reconsider this.”
