Justice Minister Helen McEntee Awaits Fresh Legal Advice on Michael Shine Report
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has confirmed that she is awaiting fresh legal advice from the Attorney General regarding the long-awaited report on disgraced former surgeon Michael Shine. The report, authored 15 years ago by a retired High Court judge, has been under scrutiny for its potential insights into the case, but has yet to be published.
Speaking on local radio earlier today, Minister McEntee expressed hope that the Attorney General would deliver his review as quickly as possible, noting the importance of the report for survivors. “I believe, I think a lot of people believe, that there is information in that that may be of assistance or that survivors themselves should have access to,” McEntee stated.
Shine, a former surgeon at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, was convicted of sexually abusing multiple male patients over several decades. Despite claims from nearly 350 men, supported by the advocacy group Dignity4Patients, only nine successful prosecutions have been brought against him.
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, recently requested the Attorney General to examine whether the 15-year-old report could finally be made public. Many believe the release of the report could offer further transparency and justice for the survivors.
McEntee was clear that the government’s priority remains ensuring that the survivors get the justice they deserve. “So this is not about anybody passing the buck and moving things around. We want to do what is right here and I think that legal advice will help us decide what the next steps could be,” she added.
The review of the report is seen as a key step in bringing closure to one of Ireland’s most notorious medical abuse scandals. Dignity4Patients continues to advocate for the full publication of the report and for further prosecutions, maintaining that many survivors have yet to see justice for the abuse they suffered.
As the legal review progresses, survivors and their families are hopeful that it will lead to more accountability and transparency surrounding the case.