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	Hynes Report Blames System Failure in Eight-Year Delay of Child Abuse Inquiry By Dara Gantly Irish Medical Times April 14, 2009 http://www.imt.ie/news/2009/04/hynes_report_blames_system_fai.html A formal investigation into allegations of child abuse in Galway took more than eight-and-a-half years to complete because of a litany of system flaws rather than personal failings, a new report has found. Carried out by former Secretary General of the Department of Social and Family Affairs John Hynes, the report found there was no indication that anybody involved was 'other than fully committed to the project' and to 'bringing it to conclusion in the shortest possible time'. Concerns regarding possible past child abuse within the Brothers of Charity Services in Galway first arose in July 1997, and an Inquiry was formally established on April 21, 1999. However, this investigation was not completed until December 2007 – after which Hynes was commissioned to review the reasons behind the inordinate delay. The Hynes Report found the initial terms of reference of the Inquiry to be 'unsatisfactory', a lack of adequate arrangements both within the Inquiry team and within the old Western Health Board (WHB), a lack of support structures, and unrealistic expectations and timelines throughout the process. It also highlighted the 'loss of key members of the Inquiry Team and the lack of adequate supports at the point when the Chair [Dr Elizabeth Healy] became in effect the only member of the Inquiry'. The report noted that Dr Healy wanted the Inquiry to be resourced in a similar manner to the Ferns Inquiry; however the resources applied to the Ferns Inquiry were on a completely different scale, the report concluded. Dr Healy left the Inquiry in January 2006. Hynes noted that the HSE managed to complete the process 'efficiently and without any unnecessary lapse of time' once it took over operations from the WHB. "It is important that the general lessons learned from this report are included in the practices of Departments and organisations charged with holding future inquiries or commissions of investigation, to minimise the scope for time and cost overruns," commented Minister of State John Moloney.
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