Presbyterian Church in Ireland moderator resigns over safeguarding failures: Charity Commission for Northern Ireland asks church for copy of internal investigation report

Yesterday the church announced that Presbyterian Moderator Rev Trevor Gribben was to stand down after stating people had been harmed and others placed at risk because of safeguarding failures from 2009-2022.

This had been during his tenure as General Secretary of the church.

This morning – the day after – the charity commission asked the church, a registered charity, for a copy of its internal investigation report on the matters.

A Charity Commission spokeswoman said: "The Commission is currently reviewing the information provided by the charity under the serious incident reporting process and is engaging with the trustees to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to protect beneficiaries and restore confidence. A copy of the internal investigation report has been requested."

The commission also confirmed it has been engaging with the church over a separate dossier submitted by Lord Alderdice and former Presbyterian Minister Roy Simpson some three years ago.

Both men argue that the church should adopt a more liberal outlook.

In 2018 Lord Alderdice resigned as an elder in part over its conservative position on same sex relationships.

Their dossier alleges the mistreatment of ministers and members who held differing views to the church.

It contains interviews with 12 people who say they have been subject to spying, stalking, bullying, harassment and derogatory comments, which the report links to “a pattern of behaviour from a small number of officials"..

The commission said they had not completed their review of these allegations due to their legal complexity.

It said: "This dossier contains detailed and complex information, requiring careful review and input from legal experts. As a result, the investigation - which remains open - is taking longer than usual to complete. Where necessary, the Commission will consider regulatory action in line with its statutory duties.

"The Commission will examine whether there are any overlapping issues between the matters raised in the dossier, those highlighted in the statement issued yesterday and within the investigation report, once received from the charity."

The commission added that safeguarding is "a fundamental governance responsibility" for all charities.

"Trustees must ensure that robust safeguarding policies and procedures are in place, that risks are managed effectively and that any incidents are reported promptly to the relevant authorities and to the Commission in line with our serious incident reporting guidance."

In the wake of the Moderator's resignation, Lord Alderdice told the BBC he does not believe the information released so far by the church is “the total story”.

"I think you quite clearly saw there was an attempt, when it could no longer be contained, to cover up and divert attention,” he said.

The church admitted it does not know how many people were likely to be involved, and were asking for people to come forward, he said.

It had set up a helpline, but that people considering calling it will ask if it is safe to trust those behind it and whether they will be taken seriously, he added.

He also suggested that the moderator had awareness of the issues when he was elected in June, which indicates “an institutional problem”.