By Jennifer Hough
CONCERNS have been raised over how a High Court action – brought against his own members by the head of a group for survivors of institutional abuse – is being funded.
Last November, Noel Barry of Cork-based charity, Right of Place, took out an injunction against a new committee seeking to take over the running of the organisation. The case has been adjourned three times since.
Patrick Walsh, British spokesman for the Irish Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA), said any money given to Right of Place to help victims of abuse should not be used to fund an action over an internal dispute.
Mr Walsh said he was very interested to know how the legal action was being paid for.
“Any money that this organisation has received for charitable endeavour should not be used in the High Court,” he said. “That money which is supposed to help members of the group could be used against them is an obscenity.”
It is understood the HSE has instructed Right of Place management that funding provided by it is not to be used to support the legal action, and that it will be monitoring the situation.
Right of Place is being asked to urgently furnish the HSE with details of the group’s structure and finance, including the number of bank accounts within the organisation, how petty cash is managed and details of the number of clients who attended meetings or were referred for counselling.
Continue reading »
