Hundreds of people who survived child sex abuse in Irish schools over the span of almost a century will be invited to share their experiences with one of the largest commissions of investigation into such abuse in the history of the State. The Commission of Investigation into historical child sex abuse allegations in schools will start its work this autumn with a survey of people who were sexually abused in schools between 1927 and 2013. Government previously estimated that there could be more than 40,000 survivors of such abuse. The survey, which cannot be anonymous, will not result in every allegation being investigated but will shape the commission’s work by establishing if there were any themes or patterns of abuse in schools. The commission will also use the survey results to help it decide where to focus the next stage of its investigation. The commission, led by Judge Michael MacGrath, was set up by the Government in July 2025 with a commitment that it would try to complete its work within five years. The commission followed a scoping inquiry published in 2024 which detailed 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse at 308 schools run by religious congregations, involving 884 alleged abusers. A new website for the commission, published this week, said it intends to carry out a survey of survivors this autumn. If a survivor has passed away or is otherwise unable to take part in the survey, a family member can participate on their behalf. People who either directly witnessed or tried to report child sex abuse in schools in the same period are also being invited to share their experiences. Survivors will have to share their name and contact details as well as the name of their former school in the survey, but can say if they would prefer to not be contacted again. Survivors can also indicate if they would be interested in taking part in further stages of the commission’s work, which will include a “survivor engagement programme”. The survey, which is not yet open, will be run online through the commission’s website, which will require an email address. However, a paper copy of the survey can also be requested.The Commission of Investigation said the survey was designed based on the needs of survivors, and a “key principle is that we only ask for information needed at this time to progress the work of the Commission”.“We have worked closely with survivors and with experts in trauma‑informed practice to ensure that the survey reflects survivor‑centred principles, including safety, confidentiality, respect and inclusivity. The survey has been tested by a group of survivors, supported by One in Four, to ensure that it is safe, accessible and responsive to the needs of survivors, insofar as possible,” it said. “We have also consulted with the Central Statistics Office, whose experience in conducting surveys on sensitive topics has been very helpful, and the Data Protection Commission.”It is expected that a state redress scheme will follow the commission, but there are already deep concerns within Government about the costs of such a redress scheme. Officials from the Departments of the Taoiseach, Education, Justice, Children and Public Expenditure and Reform said that such a redress scheme would be at a “far greater scale” than any other scheme in the history of the State, and could have “far-reaching implications”.