Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)

The charge was made that one of my colleagues was making a political football of this issue, a charge I totally reject having listened to the debate at the time. I would like to quote my party leader yesterday on this issue:

It is not for me or anyone else to point the finger of political accusation. I extend to the Taoiseach and the Government the hand of unity, political solidarity and political necessity to deal with the consequences of these horrendous revelations.

I thank the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, for acknowledging today the all-party support and unity on this issue.

I welcome, as mentioned by my party leader yesterday, the initiative of the Taoiseach to meet with the religious orders to implement the recommendations of the Ryan report. The report highlights the Government's failure to invest adequately in child protection policy and its abject failure to ensure the National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children 1999 were properly implemented. These guidelines have not up to now been implemented even though, through the boom years, the coffers were full. The welfare of children was not given the priority which was necessary and which it deserved.

There is no doubt there is a moral responsibility on the religious orders to make a further contribution to show that every possible effort is being made to address their wrongdoing. I welcome the belated response from CORI today which accepts this stance. I believe those who are guilty, regardless of when the abuse took place, must face the full rigors of the law. I hope the Garda Assistant Commissioner will report soon on this issue and that we will be in a position to prosecute the perpetrators of these horrors.

We are told the Minster of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Barry Andrews, will draft and present to Government in July a detailed plan for implementation of the recommendations of the Ryan report. Should the Houses of the Oireachtas not be recalled to discuss the details of this plan? It is imperative that the opinion of both Houses is sought on this matter.

Like other speakers, I welcome the statements from the leader of the Catholic church, Cardinal Brady and the Archbishop of Dublin and their call on the religious orders to pay their agreed contribution to the State scheme and stating that it was their moral duty to revisit the scheme and pay more compensation. In my opinion, apologies made by the religious orders should be sincere, unlike the Christian Brothers, who appeared sincere, but who then legally challenged the victims at every step of the road and the commission, thus preventing it naming individuals in the report. I believe all living victims should receive from the religious orders in question, regardless of how long it takes, a personal apology in addition to extra financial reparation.

Not a night or day passes that victims do not feel hurt or pain or endure the need for love and atonement. This shames us all and leaves us with a measure of guilt. This is an horrific story, a sad saga for the children of the so-called island of saints of scholars. We cannot in any way understand how these people grew up with these terrible crimes so vivid in their minds and imprinted on their souls. We heard the other night former Fianna Fáil councillor, Michael O'Brien, speak so emotionally on this issue on "Questions and Answers".

There must be a response from the religious institutions that provides real support for victims and recognises the moral imperative of the revelations to which everyone needs access. There must be an understanding that there are many whose stories have not yet been told and who may now find the courage to come forward. When listening to the radio a couple of days ago I heard the presenter read out a text he had received from a man saying he had been abused and that was the first time he had admitted it. How many more such people are out there?

The officials and inspectors in the Department of Education throughout the shameful period when this abuse took place have an awful lot to answer for. They had the power to halt this torture of the innocence but were grossly negligent in their duties. The judges who handed down sentences which were beyond their remit must feel ashamed of themselves at this stage. Indeed, the legal system that allowed those custodial sentences go unchallenged also has an awful lot to answer for. The sentences handed down to victims of these horrors in the past must be deleted and expunged from the records. This is a matter that should be addressed as a matter of urgency. These people did not commit crimes and all those records should be deleted.

I join in the calls for a national day of commemoration for the victims of abuse. We as a nation should never forget this horrific and shameful period in Irish history, which should not be allowed to happen again.