The Medical Council inquiry into allegations against Dr Moira Woods will be held in private, its Fitness to Practise Committee has ruled. This is in line with a recent High Court decision in the case.
The inquiry arises from allegations by parents in five families who say they were wrongly accused by Dr Woods of sexually abusing their children in the 1980s.
It was to have been the first inquiry held in public by the Medical Council, following a decision by the Fitness To Practise Committee. But it was adjourned after the first day of public hearings in January 1997 when the Eastern Health Board refused to hand over documents about the cases.
Earlier this year, Mr Justice Barr ruled in the High Court that the board should hand over the documents but that the hearings should be held in private. The Medical Council could publish a report of its findings, he said.
Yesterday's hearing was convened by the committee's chairwoman, Prof Patricia Casey, to consider Mr Justice Barr's ruling.
It heard arguments from lawyers representing its registrar, Dr Woods, the parents who made complaints against her, and the mother of one of the children.
An application by Mr Anthony Harris, solicitor for a group of parents, for representation at the forthcoming inquiry was refused.
Prof Casey said the function of presenting the case lay with the Medical Council's registrar. The complainants would be allowed to have a legal representative present but this representative would not have a right to be heard or to examine or cross-examine witnesses.
The parents said later that they would consult Mr Harris before deciding on what to do and whether to return to the High Court on the issue. One parent said the ruling that they could have a representative present was a step forward.
The date for the start of the remainder of the inquiry has still to be set.