The Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) group has said it is "deeply concerned at the absence of any outcome from the 5½-year investigation into whether there were any complaints of either physical or sexual abuse arising from the Brothers of Charity institutions in Galway."
Referring to a report in The Irish Times on December 16th, concerning the Co Galway Kilcornan Centre for severely disabled adults, Ms Fiona Neary of the RCNI asked, "why has this investigation taken so long? Why have no interim findings been produced? If there is sexual abuse going on, nothing has been done about it for five years."
She noted that "international studies show that learning disabled people are at greater risk of sexual violence than their non-disabled peers. We know that sexual abuse and sexual assault is a significant problem among people with learning difficulties."
The inquiry was set up by the Western Health Board at the request of the Brothers of Charity in April 1999.
It is investigating whether abuse had occurred at the Brothers of Charity, Galway and the Holy Family School between 1965 and 1998.
To date 29 service-users or former service-users have been interviewed and 47 staff or former staff. A report should be completed by next summer.
Meanwhile, unions at the Kilcornan Centre have rejected the findings of an evaluation which recommended the centre be closed.
The evaluation found that service users there were not safe and that their basic needs were not being met,while they had a very poor quality of life.
Union inflexibility was suggested frequently as a reason "why even small changes that would benefit service users were not implemented", it noted.
Mr Denis Rohan of the Impact trade union, which represents a majority of staff at Kilcornan, said they rejected the findings as the unions involved - SIPTU, the Irish Nurses Organisation and Impact - had not been consulted about the terms of reference.
There was "a general acceptance by management that there was no problem with the staff", at the centre, he said. They provided the best possible service with the resources available. They also opposed closure.
Ms Noreen Muldoon of the INO felt findings about a lack of accountability at the centre suggested the evaluation team "didn't know what they were talking about".
A Department of Health and Children spokesman confirmed that there was no independent State inspectorate for residential institutions caring for adult disabled.