Commission of investigation (Ireland)

In the Republic of Ireland, a commission of investigation is a statutory commission established under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 to investigate a matter of "urgent public concern".^[1][2] A commission of investigation is a less expensive but less powerful alternative to a tribunal of inquiry.^[1][3]

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse had been established in 2000 by a specific Act of the Oireachtas,^[4] with further acts passed subsequently to amend its operation.^[5] The Commissions of Investigation Act 2004 was intended to provide a template so that further commissions could be established more simply, by statutory instrument after a resolution by the houses of the Oireachtas.

List of conmmissions of investigation established under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004^[6]

Statutory instrument(s)	Commission	Topic of investigation	Report (external link)
20050222 2005 No.222	Dublin and Monaghan Bombings	Dublin and Monaghan bombings	MacEntee Report
20060069 2006 No.69		Confession by Dean Lyons to a 1997 double murder in Grangegorman	Birmingham Report
20060137 2006 No.137 and 2009 No.117	Child Sexual Abuse	Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Dublin	Murphy Report
20070304 2007 No.304	Leas Cross Nursing Home	Leas Cross scandal	O'Donovan Report
20070371 2007 No.371		Death of Gary Douch in Mountjoy Prison	McMorrow Report
20100454 2010 No.454 and 2010 No.590	Banking Sector	Irish banking crisis: Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society	Misjudging Risk: Causes of the Systemic Banking Crisis in Ireland (Nyberg Report)
20140192 2014 No.192	Fennelly Commission	Garda phone recordings scandal; Martin Callinan retirement; Garda investigation of death of Sophie Toscan du Plantier[7]	Interim report, on Callinan retirement, issued.
20140346 2014 No.346	Ronan MacLochlainn	Fatal shooting by Garda of Real IRA member Ronan MacLochlainn in 1998[8]	Not yet submitted[9]
20150038 2015 No.38	Bailieboro Garda District	Misconduct allegations contained in the Guerin Report	Not yet submitted
20150057 2015 No.57	Mother and Baby Homes	Magdalene laundries and similar institutions for unmarried mothers between 1922 and 1998.	Not yet submitted
20150253 2015 No.253	O'Keeffe Commission	Certain matters concerning transactions entered into by Irish Bank Resolution Corporation.[10][11]	Not yet submitted

See also

• Royal Commission, similar body in Commonwealth countries

References

1. "Commissions of Investigation & Inquiries". Department of Justice and Equality. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
2. "Commissions of Investigation Act 2004". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
3. Beer, Jason (2011-07-28). Public Inquiries. Oxford: OUP. §§12.31–12.36. ISBN 9780199287772.
4. "Commission To Inquire Into Child Abuse Act, 2000". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
5. "Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Amendment) Act 2005". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
6. "Legislation Directory: Commissions of Investigations Act 2004.". Irish Statute Book. Effects: S. 3(1), Commission of Investigation established. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
7. McConnell, Daniel (12 June 2015). "What is the Fennelly Commission of Inquiry? - Independent.ie". Irish Independent. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
8. "Remarks to the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality by Ms Frances Fitzgerald, TD, Minister for Justice and Equality on the motion seeking approval of the draft Order establishing the Commission of Investigation into the fatal shooting of Ronan Mac Lochlainn by members of the Garda Síochána in the course of an armed robbery in Ashford, Co. Wicklow in May 1998". MerrionStreet.ie. Irish Government. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
9. "The MacLochlainn Commission of Investigation". Department of Justice and Equality. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
10. "Taoiseach rules out deadline on IBRC investigation". RTÉ.ie. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
11. "Draft Commission of Investigation (Certain matters concerning transactions entered into by IBRC) Order 2015: Motion (Resumed) (Continued)". Dáil Éireann debates. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.