The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has ordered Catholic Church Insurance (CCI) to produce files from its investigations into claims by Friday.

The royal commission last week heard that CCI has 1960 files on child sexual abuse claims relating to 63 perpetrators.

Counsel assisting the royal commission, Gail Furness, says the insurer investigated whether the insured had prior knowledge of clergymen’s propensity for child sexual abuse.

CCI received a summons on February 4 to produce documents and has held discussions with the commission about the files being sought and timeframes.

It has located 1500 files relating to about half a dozen “priority” dioceses and religious orders provided by the commission.

Its files on paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale were tendered during the commission’s recent hearings in Ballarat.

Last week CCI told the commission another 460 files have been found for other dioceses and religious orders.

CCI counsel Peter Gray says the 1960 files relate to claims in which the insurer has determined there was prior knowledge.

Ms Furness says CCI has not met all deadlines given and the process must be “moved along” because it is beginning to impede the commission’s work.

Commission chairman Peter McClellan ordered the files be produced by the close of business on Friday.

He says CCI has assisted the commission in every way it can, but the issue has been going on for months and “everyone has to work very hard to achieve what we have promised the Government we would do, and that is finish by the end of 2017”.