Debate contribution: Clerical Child Abuse

Debate contribution by Mr Gerry Carroll on 27 January 2026.

MLA

Mr Gerry Carroll

Party at the time

People Before Profit Alliance

Date

27 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Clerical Child Abuse

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5345189

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank Members for their contributions to the debate and their support for the amendment and the motion. Members mentioned the need to be victim-centred and focused on survivors. There is, obviously, agreement on that across the House. Various people and groups have been mentioned, and I pay tribute to everybody who has been mentioned. Thankfully, there is support across the House on the matter. Members spoke about the need for the Catholic Church in particular to be held to account, and I fully concur with that. Robbie Butler, however, said that it is not just about the Catholic Church, and I agree with that. He paid tribute to Margaret McGuckian, who is a constituent of mine, and I agree with him on that. Alongside others, she has done Trojan work. Religious institutions and other institutions more generally were also involved. I note the bravery of Nikella Holmes, who spoke out recently about the abuse that she suffered. She is seeking justice as well. In my view, that shines a light on smaller religious institutions, which evangelical institutions tend to be. I do not claim to be an expert, but I understand that there are quite a lot of family-run institutions. It is important and welcome that questions are being asked about such institutions and that a light is being shone on them. He is not in the Chamber at the moment, but it is worth emphasising Mr McNulty's point that many victims and survivors who have engaged with the Executive Office and other Ministers are in poor health. Research shows that children who have been abused have a shorter lifespan due to the PTSD caused by that abuse and the physical effect that that has on them. I am aware that at least one survivor, who was abused in a Church of Ireland setting, has passed away. I want to thank Tony Gribben, who has been in touch with me and, I presume, others, for his bravery in speaking out for himself and other people. I am going to read his words into the record, because it is important that victims and survivors' voices are heard. Like many others, he has said that dragging out decisions on the recommendations that were submitted by the interdepartmental working group adds further "pain, angst and strain". Those are his words, not mine. He is asking, as I am sure that others are, when the Executive Office can complete its own action plan and provide a calendar of events. I think that that is a reasonable request from him. He has also asked what meetings have taken place with TEO and the Finance Minister to make sure that a budget is available for a public inquiry, if that is the desired option. I say, again, before anybody would get offended, that these are his words and not mine. He says that there is a "crisis of confidence" in the Executive Office about how slow things are moving. Those are quite moderate statements; people may not like them, but it is important that people's concerns are raised. It is a well-resourced Department — so much so that it can spend £8 million on agency staff. Tony Gribben also stated that requests to meet the First Minister and deputy First Minister have been ignored. That is glaring stuff that can be resolved quite easily. In conclusion, the Member for North Belfast raised important points. I commend her for her work on her Bill, which, hopefully, will proceed through the House. I also commend her for speaking out on Milltown and other issues. In a similar vein to me, she asked what communication TEO has had with the diocese of Down and Connor. I thank the junior Minister for her remarks. She stated that some documents have been submitted to PRONI. It is important that that is communicated in the most sensitive and secure way. I would like to hear her expand on that. I raised some other detailed points that I hope that officials can respond to for my benefit and that of constituents. I think that there is an overwhelming feeling that there should not be any secrecy. Has TEO done any mapping exercises on what documents may exist? I appreciate that those documents may be stored away secretly in attics, but I presume that there is some knowledge, somewhere, of what exists and where. If that is the case, maybe that can be communicated to Members in the safest possible way. I commend the amendment to the House and thank Members for their contributions.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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