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	A long-awaited independent report to decide on whether a state commission of inquiry is needed due to the alleged cover-up of serious foster care abuse in the South-East is expected to be given to Government before the weekend.</p>
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	The Irish Examiner understands the report into the HSE&rsquo;s reaction to claims officials covered-up how a woman with severe intellectual disabilities was left at an abusive home is due to be handed to Disabilities Minister Finian McGrath in the next 48 hours.</p>
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	The report, drawn up by senior counsel Conor Dignam, is specifically examining two unpublished HSE-commissioned reports into the scandal and questions over why former health service managers were considered independent enough to examine the matter.</p>
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	It is also examining whether a vulnerable woman given the pseudonym &lsquo;Grace&rsquo; in media reports suffered severe sexual abuse at the South-East foster home between the late 1980s and 2009, a full 14 years after the family in question were meant to have been barred from taking in individuals.</p>
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	The file was first sought by then disabilities minister Kathleen Lynch early last summer before a number of extensions were sought due to the scale of the work involved.</p>
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	It is widely expected the report will recommend a commission of inquiry be set up into what happened to &lsquo;Grace&rsquo; and a second woman given the pseudonym &lsquo;Anne&rsquo; who also continued to be placed with the family after &lsquo;Grace&rsquo; left the home.</p>
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	However, while all government and opposition parties have said they are in favour of such an inquiry, the move cannot occur before the report &mdash; and recommended terms of reference for a wider inquiry &mdash; are provided to Mr McGrath.</p>
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	It is to date unclear whether any likely commission of inquiry will be limited to examining the &lsquo;Grace&rsquo; case by itself or examines wider abuse claims involving other cases in the same region in recent decades after the issues were highlighted by RT&Eacute;&rsquo;s Prime Time programme last week.</p>
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	However, speaking during a D&aacute;il debate on giving extra powers to state watchdog the Health Information Quality Authority to ensure care standards in residential settings are met, Mr McGrath said he wants to see a full inquiry set up into the scandals.</p>
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	&ldquo;I&rsquo;m expecting to receive the report from Conor Dignam, senior counsel, very shortly, which will feed into the terms of reference for a statutory commission of investigation,&rdquo; the Independent Alliance TD said.</p>
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	&ldquo;This will be established as a priority, following agreement on the terms of reference, and with the approval of the Oireachtas.</p>
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	&ldquo;I will be looking for support, cross-party support for this, in relation to the commission of inquiry and also in relation to the terms of reference,&rdquo; he said.</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Examiner on the 21st July 2016)</p>
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	<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/report-due-on-foster-home-abuse-411487.html">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/report-due-on-foster-home-abuse-411487.html</a></p>
