Protestant victims raisedwith Shatter

The First and Deputy First Ministers stated: “As these allegations fall outside the jurisdiction of the Northern Ireland Executive, they cannot be investigated by the Inquiry into Historical Institutional Abuse here.

“We have registered our concerns about this group of victims and survivors with Alan Shatter TD, who is considering the issue.”

Green MLA Stephen Agnew, who raised the issue, also asked what “support mechanisms were in place for residents of Northern Ireland who, as children, were placed in Protestant institutions in the Republic of Ireland and who suffered institutional abuse.”

The Ministers replied: “Support is currently available for any victims and survivors of historical institutional abuse through Lifeline, who can be contacted 24 hours a day on 0808 808 8000.

“Lifeline counsellors will help callers to get through the initial crisis and then refer callers to other support. The NI Direct website Historical Institutional Abuse page, as well as providing information about the Inquiry and Lifeline contact details, provides other key contacts that victims and survivors may find useful.”