The Government established a commission of investigation into the handling of historical child sexual abuse in schools last July. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/ReutersThe Government should consider taking legal action against religious orders if they refuse to contribute to a future redress scheme for people who were sexually abused in schools, a Sinn Féin TD has said. An interdepartmental group was established to examine the scoping inquiry’s recommendations, including how a potential redress scheme should be funded. The group also said it would consider how other redress schemes, in the State and abroad, operated and “the potential scope and objectives of any future redress scheme, including the potential costs”. A number of survivors are taking legal action against the State over their exclusion from this particular scheme.

Source: The Irish Times February 15, 2026 22:58 UTC