Sir, - May I clarify two points in relation to the Statute of Limitations Bill 1998 made by Helen M. Hoare (November 17th).
This is a Private Members' Bill, which I introduced in Dail Eireann on behalf of the Labour Party. It proposes to extend the definition of legal disability to victims of sexual or physical child abuse so they can take legal action even though the three-year statutory period has expired. The Government subsequently amended the Bill at committee stage to exclude physical abuse.
The Labour Party strongly opposes this approach and we will seek to restore the original wording at report stage.
The other issue which has rightly been raised by the Society of Child Abuse (SOCA) is that it is necessary to ensure that those who have helped to highlight this issue by confronting their own pain and reporting to the gardai or legal advisors are not left out. We propose to do this in an amendment which the Government rejected at committee stage.
Those whose childhood was stolen, whose bodies were mercilessly abused and whose human integrity was violated received an outpouring of public sympathy and apology, but little else. This Bill, initiated by the Labour Party, is our response to an issue that has been neglected for too many years. It is time for Government to play its part by supporting comprehensive legislation on this very important issue. - Yours, etc., Jan O'Sullivan TD,
Labour Party Spokesperson on Equality and Law Reform, Dail Eireann, Dublin 2.