Senator Martin McAleese, husband of President McAleese, is to head an investigation into the Irish state's role in alleged abuse in the infamous Magdalene laundries.
Justice Minister Alan Shatter appointed McAleese to oversee a committee set up to clarify any state interaction with the laundaries which were little more than Dickensian workhouses.
A statutory inquiry focusing on the religious congregations which ran the homes, as well as prosecutions where necessary and victim compensation, has been urged.
But Minister Shatter has stopped short of setting up a full inquiry, at least for the time being. He cited a need to fully establish the facts and circumstances relating to the Magdalene laundries "as a first step."
