Updates

Update for Victims and Survivors

We want to update you on progress following an important meeting that took place yesterday, 09.03.2026, with Senior Counsel Lorcan Staines, who has been appointed to lead the current Scoping Exercise, along with Gemma McLoughlin Burke.
Adrienne Reilly and Philip O’Donoghue from Dignity4Patients attended the meeting along with Diarmuid Brecknell of Phoenix Law, who represents victims and survivors.
The meeting was positive and focused on how the Scoping Exercise can lead to a strong and effective inquiry process.

Purpose of the Current Work

Lorcan Staines is preparing a report that will act as a roadmap for any future inquiry. This report will help determine:

• What the inquiry should examine

• How the inquiry should be structured

• What topics should form the core focus

• What issues may need to be addressed through other mechanisms

This work is expected to take approximately 16 weeks.

Focus on Victims and Survivors

A key priority discussed at the meeting was ensuring that victims and survivors are not retraumatised by unnecessary or duplicated processes.

Because a future statutory inquiry would already involve a formal process for hearing evidence, the Scoping Exercise stage will not require victims to repeat their experiences in detail.

However:

• Any victim or survivor who wishes to speak with Lorcan Staines can have the opportunity to do so.

• A group of core campaign victims will be invited to meet with him early in the process.

The aim is to make sure the process is informed by victims’ perspectives without placing additional burdens on people at this stage.

Truth Recovery and Statutory Inquiry

The proposal being developed may involve two connected processes:

1. A Statutory Inquiry – with legal powers to examine evidence and compel documents.

2. A Truth Recovery Process – a separate process focused on acknowledging harm, hearing experiences, and helping establish a fuller understanding of what happened.

These processes could run in parallel, and the truth recovery process may be able to produce findings earlier.

Importantly, the role of victims and survivors could move between both processes depending on what is most appropriate.

Documents and Evidence

As part of the Scoping Exercise, efforts are underway to obtain relevant documents from a range of organisations. The aim is to build a clearer historical narrative and identify what material should be examined in a future inquiry.

Where possible, the intention is that documents would be made public, unless there are clear and explainable reasons why they cannot be.

Independent Expertise Supporting the Process

Two internationally respected experts in inquiry and victim-centred processes will also be involved:

• Maeve Lewis, former Executive Director of One in Four

• Professor Phil Scraton, a leading expert in human rights investigations and inquiries

Their role will be to help ensure the process is victim-centred, trauma-informed, and credible, and to support meaningful engagement with survivors.

Next Steps

Over the coming weeks:

• Meetings will be arranged between Lorcan Staines and core victims.

• Work will begin on identifying and gathering key documents.

• Experts supporting the process will begin working with Lorcan Staines.

• Updates will continue to be shared with victims and survivors.

We will also continue to consider the best ways for victims and survivors to stay informed and, if they wish, engage with the Scoping Exercise.

Keeping You Updated

We recognise how important transparency and trust are. We will continue to provide updates as this work progresses and will ensure that victims and survivors are kept informed at every stage.
 

If you have questions or would like to express interest in engaging with the process, further information will be shared shortly on how this can be done.

Your experiences and voices remain central to ensuring that a meaningful and effective inquiry takes place.