The government has granted a 12-month extension to the Commission of Investigation into the Grace foster abuse scandal.
Grace was a woman with intellectual disabilities who was placed in a foster home in the south-east, and left there for 20 years despite allegations of sexual abuse.
The first phase of the Commission's work is to investigate the role of public authorities in the care and protection of Grace. It was due to issue a final report on this work today.
Ministers approved the extension sought by the sole member of the Commission, Marjorie Farrelly at the weekly Cabinet meetings.
It's due to the volume of work involved and a difficulty in taking testimony from witnesses.
It emerged on Sunday that the mother of Grace has stopped co-operating with the commission claiming it had shown an unfriendly and unaccommodating attitude to representative of formed residents at the home in question.
The Minister of State for Disabilities, Finian McGrath, TD said: "I wish to acknowledge the work to date undertaken by the Commission and to thank the Sole Member and her team for their dedication to the Commission. It is regrettable that the Commission will not be in a position to submit its phase 1 final report by today, as specified in the Terms of Reference. However, I recognise that this has not been possible due to the issues identified by the Commission."
