Political reaction: Labour has proposed a joint Opposition motion of no-confidence in the Government after the publication of proposals to reform the child abuse inquiry.
The party said the Government's proposals were a "crisis-driven regurgitation of measures" already agreed but considered inadequate to speed up the work of the inquiry.
The Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, said he had written to Fine Gael and the Greens proposing a no-confidence motion, which would be taken when the Dáil resumes.
But Fine Gael last night questioned the "tactical merits" of Labour's suggestion and said it might be better to wait to consider Miss Justice Laffoy's next interim report, due next November. It suggested the matter be discussed in private members' time when the Dáil resumes.
Mr Rabbitte said the Government statement yesterday did not clarify whether the second review of the inquiry's work was continuing or whether a new mandate was being considered.
"The Minister for Education went on record to say that he proposed to introduce sampling, but today there is no mention of that. The essence of the process was always to allow victims to tell their stories, even on the investigative side of the commission, and that is now to be replaced by sworn statements."
Mr Rabbitte said the work of the inquiry would remain in limbo in the absence of legislation to give effect to the changes published yesterday. The measures offered little real hope of bringing closure to abuse victims.
"Even if this new scheme had any real value, there is no hope of it being enacted quickly since according to the Government they must await the outcome of a Supreme Court decision, in a case where the High Court has yet to give judgment," he said. "The Government has not only displayed a deep level of incompetence in the way it has handled the commission, but has demonstrated that it cannot be trusted."
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, said the latest proposals did not move the work of the inquiry forward by even an inch. He criticised the Government's decision to seek an independent report on its proposals.
Mr Kenny said: "The Government says it will seek a report from an independent and objective source. They had an independent and objective source and her name was Justice Mary Laffoy."
