Further extension granted to ‘Grace’ case inquiry over legal snags [Video]

THE COMMISSION OF inquiry into the case of ‘Grace’ has been given a three-month extension, with details of the report expected it be made public on 12 December.

The extension is to allow the inquiry team to complete a number of outstanding administrative tasks, such as tallying up legal costs at the final phase of the Commission’s work.

The Grace case concerns a young woman with profound intellectual disabilities who was left in a foster home in the Waterford area for almost 20 years despite a succession of sexual and physical abuse allegations.

The long-awaited final report was delivered to the Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman in July, but was due to be completed in May 2019. The Commission was granted a number of extensions, totalling five years.

Earlier this year, Ministers met with the inquiry to express their dissatisfaction with the pace of the investigation.

Then-Taoiseach Leo Varadkar later described the delays as …