AN investigation into possible, child abuse before the late 1980s at Finglas Children's Centre in Dublin has continued for 10 months, despite earlier assertions that there was nothing to investigate.
The investigation was initiated by the Eastern Health Board last April when it received a letter from the Fianna Fail leader Mr Bertie Ahern, who had written to the board following correspondence from a former high ranking civil servant, Ms Loreto Byrne.
Ms Byrne alleges that early in 1988 she became aware of allegations of sexual abuse at Finglas Children's Centre. Shortly afterwards she was returned to the Department of Finance from which she had been on loan to the Department of Education. In 1992 when she was in her mid 30s, she retired under the early retirement scheme. She has since completed a law degree at University College Dublin.
She has also been in constant contact with politicians over her allegation that the abuse claims were never fully investigated and has appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of the Oireachtas in a private session.
The Department of Education has since confirmed to The Irish Times that its child care adviser (Mr Graham Granville) and the Director of Finglas Children's Centre (Brother Augustine Murphy) concluded after a meeting in 1988 that "no further action was warranted" in relation to the concerns raised by Ms Byrne.
In spite of this, what the Department calls "a full investigation" was undertaken by the Garda into the matter in 1994 and that at the conclusion of their investigations, the Director of Public Prosecutions directed that there was absolutely no evidence to support the allegations and directed that there should be no further action in the matter."
But last year a new element entered the situation when the EHB started its own investigation. That investigation, which is still going on, is understood to include another Garda inquiry.
"All relevant agencies are involved in the investigation and are working very closely together," said the EHB, a statement which suggests that the Department of Education, Finglas Children's Centre and the Garda are working with the EHB in the investigation.
The centre was run by the De La Salle order until 1995 and is now run by the Department of Education.