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Kyran Durnin: Government ‘will act immediately’ on Tusla review of missing Louth schoolboy

Kyran Durnin: Government ‘will act immediately’ on Tusla review of missing Louth schoolboy

Roderic O’Gorman received the “detailed” report from the Children and Families Agency on its engagement with Kyran and his family on Friday night.

Roderic O’Gorman received the “detailed” report from the Children and Families Agency on its engagement with Kyran and his family on Friday night.

A spokesman for Mr O’Gorman said the Department would engage with Tusla on the findings in the “concerning” case.

Gardai launched a murder investigation in October into the disappearance of the Co Louth schoolboy, who may have been missing for two years, unknown to the authorities.

Gardaí suspect Kyran may have died in 2022 when he was six years old.

Tusla said it raised a “significant” concern about the missing child with police in August.

Last week, investigators searched a former family home in Dundalk and surrounding land.

Ireland’s police chief described the case as “extraordinary” and said he had never seen one like it in his 40-year career.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said on Friday he was being updated every day on the investigation.

He said gardai had received “a huge amount of information from the public” after several appeals.

“I can assure you that that investigation is very active, we are following all the lines of inquiry that we have,” he said, speaking in Co Laois.

“We’ve received a huge amount of input from the public so that all needs to be processed and we’re also engaging with Tusla and we’ve received a lot of input from Tusla.

“All of this feeds into the investigation. It is a very complex and well-resourced investigation and is being assisted by the national offices in terms of expertise in interviewing and assessing the witness accounts we have received so far.”

Mr O’Gorman said he would receive a report from Tusla on its engagement with Kyran and his family.

A separate report will be issued to Education Minister Norma Foley in relation to Tusla’s Education Support Service about Kyran’s interactions with school authorities.

“My department and I will engage with Tusla on the implementation of any of the immediate recommendations for that report,” Mr O’Gorman said.

“It’s a detailed report and we’re very aware that there’s an ongoing Garda investigation, a criminal investigation, going on right now, so Tusla won’t be putting anything out there that would prejudice an ongoing criminal investigation.

“But importantly, this report will also go to the National Review Board, which is the independent body that looks into the death of any child who was known to Tusla, and the internal report from Tusla will be considered by the National Review Board.

“But we will act immediately on any central recommendations that this review brings us today.”

The National Review Commission, which carries out reviews of child deaths and serious incidents to improve services, is prioritizing the case.

Tusla said its internal review of interactions with Kyran Durnin and his family would not be made public.

A spokesman said: “In line with standard practice in sensitive situations and in the context of the live investigation by An Garda Siochana and the highly sensitive nature of the personal information involved, the review cannot be published at this time.”