“Everything should be on the table” to ensure religious orders contribute to future redress schemes, up to and including the seizure of their assets, a Sinn Fein TD has said. This is despite the fact that orders such as the Jesuits and Spiritans have already paid millions to abuse victims. It is not clear if such a move would be constitutional.

The Government established a commission of investigation last July into the handling of historical child sexual abuse in schools, after a scoping inquiry suggested the potential scale of such abuse, not just in Catholic schools, was very significant.

Meath East TD, Darren O’Rourke said the Government should consider taking legal action against Church bodies if they refused to contribute to any redress scheme that might result from the commission.

O’Rourke, Sinn Féin spokesman on education and youth, welcomed what he called “a commitment to a comprehensive assessment of options” by the Government, but said religious orders must be “held accountable”.

His comments echo similar moves by the Labour Party.

In December, the party introduced a Bill that would facilitate civil proceedings against unincorporated bodies such as religious orders and provide a mechanism for recovering damages from trusts associated with these organisations.