Overview
- The Government accepted Judge Lorcan Staines’s recommendations and said officials will begin work to establish a statutory Commission of Investigation to examine Shine’s conduct and the response of public bodies.
- Staines published a non-statutory scoping report on Thursday that recommended the Commission start immediately and set out a six-phase programme for investigation and engagement with victims.
- The report identified roughly 400 victims and says allegations date from 1964 to 1990, with abuse reported at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Shine’s private clinics on Fair Street, and at his home.
- Survivors told the facilitator they felt repeatedly let down and the report named concerns about the hospital board, the North Eastern Health Board, the Medical Council, An Garda Síochána, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the courts.
- Next steps include the Department of Health drafting terms of reference and consulting the Office of the Attorney General, a process that will define the Commission’s powers to examine records, hold hearings and make recommendations for accountability and reform.