Scouting Ireland was formed in 2004 following a merger of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland (CBSI) and the Scouts Association of Ireland (SAI).

Scouting Ireland has now identified more than 300 past victims of alleged child sexual abuse in the youth organisation.

The ongoing internal review has now identified 317 alleged victims and 212 alleged abusers.

Late last month the Minister for Children Katherine Zappone informed the Oireachtas committee on children and youth affairs that Scouting Ireland’s audit of past abuse had identified 108 alleged abuse victims, and 71 alleged abusers. In the three weeks since then the number of alleged abusers and victims has nearly tripled.

Ms Zappone said on Tuesday that the increase in alleged abusers and victims was “a matter of grave concern” and that the totals would “in all probability increase”.

Scouting Ireland’s internal review of past abuse has included an audit of historic files, interviews with past staff and volunteers, and information from individuals coming forward in recent months claiming they were abused.

The committee meeting heard the majority of alleged incidents of abuse occurred between the 1960s and the 1980s, and that none of the 71 accused perpetrators was still involved in the organisation.

In the last three weeks, over 120 individuals have called a confidential helpline it set up to deal with the fallout of the scandal to allege they were subjected to child sexual abuse while in the CBSI and SAI, The Irish Times understands.

The organisation has in recent days sent an update on the latest number of alleged victims and abusers to Ms Zappone.

The youth organisation, which has 40,000 juvenile members, has set up a victims’ support scheme to assist abuse survivors, which offers to fund counselling services.

Safeguarding standards at Scouting Ireland has been subjected to scrutiny since the start of this year when The Irish Times revealed a confidential report found the organisation’s handling of a rape allegation, concerning two adult volunteers, had been “deeply flawed”.

Ms Zappone has twice suspended the organisation’s State funding in recent months over a lack of confidence in its governance.

Scouting Ireland’s confidential helpline can be contacted at 01-800 221199

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More than 20* people alleged to have abused children in Scouting Ireland still alive

Several individuals who had complaints of child sex abuse made against them over their time in the organisation are serving time in prison, The Irish Times understands.

Where individuals are still alive, or their status is unknown, Scouting Ireland has passed on information to An Garda Síochána, the State child protection agency Tusla and authorities in other jurisdictions where alleged abusers are living abroad.

A conservative estimate is that at least 20 of the 71 alleged perpetrators are still alive, according to sources in the organisation. The Garda has said it will fully investigate all abuse allegations.

None of the alleged abusers are still active in the organisation, which has 40,000 juvenile members.

As the controversy continues, questions have been raised over a previous review of Scouting Ireland’s historic records in 2012 which failed to raise concern about the scale of historical abuse.

• Please note that this number refers to the initial report of 71 perps in total; and that the number of alleged perps is now 212, so that in fact the number of those still alive might be much higher than 20.

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