The commission inquiring into abuse at church and State-run institutions has signed off on an interim report which is widely expected to criticise the Government's stewardship of the investigation.
The report was agreed at a meeting yesterday afternoon to mark the formal resignation of Ms Justice Laffoy from the commission. While it is not likely to be published until the new year, the commission has set a deadline of January 30th for publication.
The judge's decision to resign last September created an immediate political crisis for the Government when it emerged that she had accused it of hindering her work through delays and inadequate resources.
"A range of factors over which the commission has had no control have together produced a real and pervasive sense of powerlessness," she wrote in her letter of resignation.
"The commission has never been properly enabled by the Government to fulfil satisfactorily the functions conferred on it by the Oireachtas."
The claims were denied by the Government which has insisted that it provided whatever resources were required. However, correspondence revealed a prickly relationship between the Government and the commission.
Ms Justice Laffoy will be replaced next week by Mr Seán Ryan SC, whose nomination to the High Court was approved last week by the Government. He is expected to be sworn in as a judge next week.
Mr Ryan was asked by the Government to conduct a detailed review of the inquiry's work with particular reference to the interests of abuse victims and the necessity to complete the investigation within a reasonable period.
He was also asked to produce proposals that would not incur exorbitant costs. While the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has told groups representing abuse survivors that the option of hearing only sample cases is no longer on the agenda, it was unclear last night how Mr Ryan proposes to reduce both the duration and expense of the investigation.
With some 1,700 cases outstanding as of last September, it was estimated that hearings would take up to 11 years, with legal costs estimated at €200 million in a scenario where the commission did not change its methodology.
The Government also faces potential exposure of up to €1 billion in claims under the indemnity deal agreed with members of the Conference of Religious of Ireland.
