Assessment of Need delays in Ireland are at record levels, with children facing waiting times of more than two years and families left without timely support guaranteed under the Disability Act 2005.
A High Court ruling allows a woman to continue her sexual abuse civil claim against her brother. The court found no unfair trial risk despite a 40-year delay in bringing the case.
The North Kerry CAMHS Review led by Dr. Colette Halpin has completed its assessment of around 300 patient files, but the report remains unpublished despite being drafted in June 2025. This delay is causing significant distress for affected families, particularly given that 50% of reviewed cases have resulted in apologies from the HSE, compared to just 15% in the South Kerry Maskey Review.
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These orders were made after Anthony Weldon, the liquidator of St Patrick’s Guild failed to appoint lawyers to defend the claims. This is despite having engaged lawyers to advise on the winding up of St Patrick’s Guild.
One such case was a lawsuit relating to a situation where Ms Helen Maguire briefly left her daughter at the Guild’s infant hospital in Temple Hill, Blackrock, Co. Dublin in 1966 and was given the wrong child when she returned. It was over a decade later, following a DNA test, that Ms Maguie realised the child she had raised was not her biological daughter. Ms Maguire’s case was among those the High Court has previously given judgment in default of appearance against St Patrick’s Guild.
Despite these rulings, there are doubts as to what level of damages there is to be obtained from the Guild. A meeting of creditors was informed last year that there was just 251,000 in assets. The High Court rulings do not however apply to the State, the Adoption Authority of Ireland, and a representative of the Sisters of Charity who are the other defendants in the cases.
As there is no defense currently being mounted by the adoption agency, the State may face pressure to ensure the claimants are compensated. There is a provision for the State to step in where a “strategic claim” is filed against St Patrick’s Guild. This provision is contained in the deed transferring adoption records from St Patricks Guild to Tusla in 2016.
A High Court ruling allows a woman to continue her sexual abuse civil claim against her brother. The court found no unfair trial risk despite a 40-year delay in bringing the case.
The North Kerry CAMHS Review led by Dr. Colette Halpin has completed its assessment of around 300 patient files, but the report remains unpublished despite being drafted in June 2025. This delay is causing significant distress for affected families, particularly given that 50% of reviewed cases have resulted in apologies from the HSE, compared to just 15% in the South Kerry Maskey Review.
![Sodium Valproate Inquiry [2025]](https://colemanlegalpartners.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Sodium-Valproate-Inquiry-2025-Coleman-Legal-LLP-400x250.webp)
The Sodium Valproate Inquiry in Ireland officially commenced on 22 July 2025, marking a crucial investigation into the historical use of this epilepsy drug and its devastating effects on children exposed in the womb. This comprehensive inquiry, chaired by Barrister Bríd O’Flaherty BL, will examine decades of prescribing practices, regulatory oversight, and the adequacy of patient warnings regarding Sodium Valproate’s risks to unborn children.
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