Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I should not need all that time.

I thank the Minister for his continued engagement. He is very committed to this process and, rightly so, because there are many hurt, angry and upset victims at the heart of this matter.

The summary report and commentary to date have centred on women. Most of the homes were run by nuns and, by virtue of their sex and the fact that they were carrying babies, it was women who went into these homes. It was, therefore, a very female environment. Very little has been said - these are the unwritten chapters of Irish history - about the men. As this issue emerged on the airwaves, I heard far too many stories of the guy down the road who bought a ticket and went to Birmingham for two years, just absconded, because he had got a local girl pregnant. There is a lot of soul-searching still to be done by men in Ireland, most of whom now are moving on in years. They really need to look at this and ask themselves if they became the first cog in this process when they bought a ferry or airline ticket and absconded or ran for their lives from their responsibilities, and whether that was the right thing to do. Some people still have time to address and atone for their wrongdoing.

I agree with others that the language in the commission's report is cold and clinical. It is a report of an investigation and has many shortcomings but it is what it is. The commission's work has wound up but the actions must now commence. That will be the litmus test for the Minister, his Department and the Government overall.

We have all received umpteen emails from people who are extremely upset stating that the audio recordings of 550 testimonies have been destroyed. Is that the case? Have the testimonies made their way through the cogs of administration and the Civil Service where they await destruction and can they be salvaged at the eleventh hour or have they been destroyed? I ask the Minister for a "Yes" or "No" answer.