Marie Moloney (Labour)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I have been involved in many debates in the House but I have never been involved in one so sensitive and I have never seen such an emotional response from a Minister. I welcome the visitors in the Gallery. I apologise for being emotional but many of my colleagues do not know that my father spent his early years in an orphanage. He was one of the lucky ones who was, along with two other boys, adopted by a lovely couple. He died a young man and to the day he died he never once spoke to us about his days in the orphanage.

I welcome the establishment of the statutory fund to support requirements of survivors of residential institutional child abuse. I welcome the fact the fund will provide counselling, health, education, housing and other services for those victims of abuse. I salute their courage for having come forward. If they had not come forward to speak this may never have come to public knowledge. We give out about the media but on this occasion we owe them a debt of gratitude that this entire affair was blown open.

The publication of the Ryan report shocked us all. We must do everything in our power to support the victims of institutional abuse. These people lost their childhood, their lives and their meaning for existence because of the time they spent in these institutions. The appalling and systematic abuse by those who should have been protecting, nurturing and educating them is beyond comprehension. It leaves us lost for words.

I note from the Minister's speech that the fund will not be used in substitution for publicly available services. I agree with this because we all know the length of waiting lists in the country at present. I can see there being a big demand for private counselling. As 40% of the people are living abroad, and we cannot control the public services in other countries, there is only one way they can access such services and that is through the fund. A great deal of money will be required from the fund. We have €21 million where we require €100 million and I am concerned about this.