Opposition parties have said the Department of Education should not be allowed carry out a review of the Laffoy Commission following reports that civil servants had knowledge of abuse in its institutions as long ago as the 1960s.
According to a newspaper report today the Commission into child abuse has uncovered new evidence that Department officials at a senior level knew that paedophiles were abusing children in the 60s, 70s and 80s, but left the abusers in place.
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, announced a review of the Commission's work last week, following the resignation of its chairwoman Ms Justice Mary Laffoy.
But Fine Gael's education spokeswoman, Ms Olwyn Enright, said the Department should not be allowed to conduct the review as questions continue to be asked about the Department's own knowledge of incidents of abuse.
"The Laffoy Commission is investigating the actions of the Department of Education as well as the actions of others. For this same Department to be handling the setting up of a review of the Laffoy Commission is extremely worrying, she said.
She also criticised proposals to hear only "sample" cases of abuse in an effort to speed up the Commission's work.
"The only way we will ever come to the truth of this entire scandal is to investigate fully the cases of those who have expressly requested a full investigation by the Laffoy Commission," Ms Enright added.
Green Party Leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, has reiterated his call to the Taoiseach that the Department of Education and Mr Dempsey be removed from managerial control of the Laffoy Commission.
"The Taoiseach has consistently refused to accept that a conflict of interest exists where the Department of Education is in control of a Commission which has to investigate officials of that same Government Department," he said.
"The alienation and pain felt by victims of child abuse is made worse when the Government seems unable to distinguish between Fianna Fáil self-interest and the common good. The Taoiseach seemed more inclined to hang Minister Dempsey out to dry than to be a leader himself and take control of the Commission," he added.
