Cabinet reflects on response to revelations on 'Prime Time'

The Cabinet is to considering its response to the RTÉ revelations on clerical child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese, the Taoiseach told the Dáil.

Mr Ahern was responding to expressions of concern, and demands for Government action, following last Thursday's Prime Time programme.

He told the House that the Cabinet had discussed the issue earlier in the day. "The Government has made some preliminary considerations, which we will be spending more time reflecting on in the coming days."

He repeated the Government's intention to proceed with a non-statutory inquiry into the extent and handling of clerical sex abuse in the Ferns diocese arising from the report of the senior counsel, Mr George Bermingham.

That was being implemented with the agreement and co-operation of all the relevant parties, he added.

Responding to a suggestion by the Labour leader, Mr Ruairí Quinn, that the Government consider extending Mr Bermingham's remit to the entire State, the Taoiseach said it would not be fair to the victims, who had worked extremely hard, to delay the Ferns inquiry, regardless of recent events. "The Cabinet believes we should have further discussion on the gravity of the situation in Dublin. We need to reflect. While George Bermingham's inquiry is excellent, we believe that, when taken in its non-statutory form, it would be a good template for a national scheme."

Mr Ahern revealed that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr McDowell, had discussed the general issues arising in recent days with the Deputy Commissioner of the Garda.

"The Garda has a duty to investigate in full any allegations of criminal wrongdoing and is entitled to expect the full co-operation, within the law, of all citizens regardless of where they come from."

He added that the Government needed to spend some days, in conjunction with the Attorney General, Mr Rory Brady, who was absent on international business, and Mr McDowell, looking at the gravity of the situation.

Mr Ahern said that anybody with information on clerical child abuse should go to the Garda.

"Child abuse is abhorrent, doubly so when those who perpetrate it are abusing a position of trust, which is why revulsion at clerical sex abuse runs so deep in the community, not just since last week's programme but on many issues in recent years." The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, welcomed the Taoiseach's confirmation that the law of the land would apply to every citizen in the State. "Many of the Catholic hierarchy, who do their duty in an above-the-board manner, are equally horrified by the consequences of this programme.

"It is necessary that those who have never strayed from their true Christian and Catholic responsibilities are vindicated in the eyes of their flock. This is a watershed for the Catholic Church." Mr Kenny asked if Mr Ahern was happy that, in previous investigations, no undue pressure was exerted by certain elements within the hierarchy on the Garda. Mr Ahern said the handling of the issue by the Garda and others had been examined. That would be part of the non-statutory investigation which would now continue over the next few months and which would not, the Government believed, take long.

"The Garda has made many successful prosecutions under the criminal prosecution system in recent years. I am confident it will deal as efficiently with any other cases when given the appropriate information and that it will bring forward prosecutions through its work and through the legal and court system."