The Government is preparing major legislative changes aimed at speeding up and reducing the cost of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse.
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, said last night it was likely that there would be substantial changes to the way the commission works after he commissioned a second review of its remit.
He said the Government would await the judgment of a recent case taken by the Christian Brothers in the High Court prior to the enactment of any proposed legislative changes.
However, Mr John Kelly of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA) called for the entire commission to be scrapped. He said it was a waste of taxpayers' money and was not capable of delivering justice to victims of institutional abuse.
Mr Dempsey, meanwhile, said the commission was performing a vital task and there was a need for it to complete its work within an acceptable timeframe.
"Justice delayed is justice denied, and this is all the more important where you are dealing with people's lives which have been blighted by past failures of the State," he said.
The Minister said a draft version of the legislative changes would be published as soon as the latest review of the commission's remit was completed and the High Court case had been heard.
The original review of the commission was sought by the Government last December after it emerged that the body, in its current form, could take up to 11 years to complete its work.
There was concern that delays could prejudice the commission's inquiries and facilitate legal challenges being launched. Officials have estimated that in its current form the commission could accumulate legal fees in the region of €200 million.
