Member's statement: Executive Office: Reports on Clerical Child Sexual Abuse

Member's statement by Ms Paula Bradshaw on 29 June 2026.

MLA

Ms Paula Bradshaw

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

29 June 2026

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Executive Office: Reports on Clerical Child Sexual Abuse

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5644553

Read the official Assembly record

Text

This time last year, the First Minister and the deputy First Minister received research reports on clerical child sexual abuse. Unfortunately, 12 months on, questions remain about what has been done with the research and what actions have been or are being taken. Last week's revelations are only the most recent in a series that shows the clear and obvious necessity for urgent and transparent action on safeguarding in faith-based settings. Members will recall that the Executive Office commissioned three separate reports to examine victims' experiences, historical record-keeping and safeguarding practices in religious organisations. I am not coming at the issue as a result of last week's revelations. On 27 January this year, we debated a motion on the matter in the Chamber, and assurances were given that we would see progress shortly. At the end of May, the Committee for the Executive Office demanded the release of the reports, but we have not seen them. My most recent public call for their publication was just three weeks ago. Frankly, victims and survivors have waited long enough. They have made clear their desire to see the publicly funded reports published. It is outrageous that they should have to wait a second longer. Endless delay does nothing for victims and survivors, who should be central to the process. That is hardly the trauma-informed approach that we in the Assembly have promised them. They and we need to hear how the First Minister and the deputy First Minister have decided to proceed, including whether there will be a public inquiry. Victims and survivors have made the case for such an investigation to look at the extent of systemic institutional cover-up, the practice of the movement of perpetrators, the failures to report abuse and the use of secrecy agreements. What about the historical policing response, including refusals to take statements and the lack of insight into institutional complicity? That has to be interrogated as well. Other questions remain, such as whether regulatory changes will be put in place to provide independent oversight of Church safeguarding measures to stop abuse happening now and in the future, because we know that such abuse is not just historical but continues today. In comparison, even the simple question of whether specialist support services similar to those accessible by victims of historical institutional abuse and mother-and-baby institutions will be put in place for victims and survivors of clerical child sexual abuse remains unanswered. We have to be clear that a failure to see action in the area a full year on from receipt of the research will be looked on as —

— an institutional cover-up.

438 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:58 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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