NORTHERN IRELAND
Belfast Telegraph
18 JUNE 2014
The chairman of Northern Ireland’s public inquiry into historical institutional child abuse has requested a one-year extension to his work.
Stormont’s first and deputy first ministers said Sir Anthony Hart made a persuasive and compelling case and will recommend that the Executive agrees to lengthen the investigation.
The treatment of young people, orphaned or taken away from their unmarried mothers, in houses run by nuns, brothers or the state is a key concern of the retired High Court judge’s probe which is being held in Banbridge, Co Down, and was ordered by ministers.
The panel is considering cases between 1922, the foundation of Northern Ireland, and 1995 and open oral testimony is due to finish in a year’s time.
Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness said: “We do not underestimate the complexities of dealing with institutional abuse. We must ensure that the inquiry provides every opportunity for those impacted by the allegations of institutional abuse to be heard in an open forum.
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