By Michael Brennan Political Correspondent
Monday January 11 2010
THE one million records of the Ryan Commission into child abuse have been saved — despite fears that they would be immediately destroyed.
The Government had sought advice from the Attorney General about reports that the commission was “leaning towards” the destruction of all documents used in preparing its report on child abuse in religious-run institutions.
But the commission has now given the Government assurances that no action will be taken on these documents for some time.
Its secretary Brenda McVeigh said work was currently ongoing to catalogue the one million paper records accumulated by its investigative committee over a nine-year period, which include witness statements by abuse victims.
“There was never a question of destroying the investigation committee documents,” she said.
The documents are now being preserved until the Ryan Commission meets (most likely later this year) to decide what to do with them.
Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe said: “The Government supports the desirability of preserving, in so far as possible, these records for posterity.”
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