Dublin:Plans to set up an inquiry into how the Dublin archdiocese handled allegations of child sex abuse by priests will be brought to Cabinet "as a matter of urgency", Minister of State for Justice Brian Lenihan said yesterday.
The Government was also preparing for an "audit" of the implementation of child abuse guidelines in dioceses across the State, he said. However it had not yet decided whether to have an actual inquiry into child abuse in other dioceses throughout the State at this stage.
Mr Lenihan confirmed he had written on Wednesday to Archbishop Seán Brady, as president of the Episcopal Conference, and "invited him and his brother bishops to respond to me as a matter of urgency on the whole question of the child protection practices that are actually operated in the different dioceses in Ireland, because the Government wanted to be assured that the recommendations in the Ferns report are being implemented".
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One programme yesterday, Mr Lenihan said he had now also written to the Health Service Executive and asked them to liaise with individual bishops.
"The Government has determined to see to it that the recommendations in Judge Murphy's report in the Ferns inquiry are implemented." He said he and the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, were working on the terms of reference for an inquiry into the Dublin archdiocese.
Mr McDowell would bring proposals to set up such an inquiry to the Cabinet "as a matter of urgency".
The Dublin inquiry had not been set up until the Ferns one was completed, as it had been decided to use the experience of Ferns to "fine tune" the Dublin one.
He said the Government was examining the Ferns inquiry as its conduct and outcome would influence how the Dublin inquiry was constituted.
"The Government are committed to a Dublin inquiry - it's just a question of getting the terms of reference right."
A decision on whether to hold a national inquiry had not yet been taken.