Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone has said 80 people identifying as victims of abuse have phoned the confidential helpline set up by Scouting Ireland after 71 alleged abusers and 108 alleged victims were identified.
In a statement, Ms Zappone said she had met representatives from Scouting Ireland today to discuss her concerns following last week's revelations.
She said she would be given an update on the number of alleged victims and alleged perpetrators in mid-December.
Minister Zappone said she discussed the steps Scouting Ireland is taking to ensure that all alleged abuse victims who have come forward are being properly supported and counselled and that the same level of support will be made available to any further victims that may come forward.
"I sought reassurance from the representatives that the historic review is continuing and that all allegations found within the historic files or subsequently brought to the attention of Scouting Ireland will be immediately referred to Tusla and to the gardaí (or any other relevant police authority).
"I have been reassured that Scouting Ireland is taking these shocking revelations very seriously."
The minister said a discussion took place about the costs associated with putting in place and maintaining the necessary supports for victims that come forward and how they plan to meet those costs.
Scouting Ireland has launched a freephone helpline on 1800 22 11 99.
The helpline is open Monday – Friday 9.00am – 8.00pm and Saturday / Sunday 9.00am – 6.00pm.
Tusla has also set up a helpline on 1800 805 665 - open each day from 9am to 4pm until Friday 30 November.
The Executive Director of One in Four says she expects a rise in disclosures over the coming weeks and months, following the revelations that Scouting Ireland has identified several cases of historic abuse.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Maeve Lewis said that coverage of these issues encourages people to reach out and ask for help.
However, she said the problem is that there are long waiting lists for counselling and help groups are very under-resourced.
One in Four's waiting list is well over a year which is "really frightening", said Ms Lewis, and the national counselling service has a waiting list of over two years.
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