Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not know what I feel at the moment. The contrast between the two presentations is utterly striking. The Ombudsman was at pains to say that when he was making criticisms of the administration of the scheme, it was not a personal slight on any of the front-line staff who were administering the scheme but a question of the deficiencies in the manner in which the administration of the scheme was set up. The points I am making are not personal but it is very clear there are deep-rooted systemic problems in the Department of Justice and Equality that have led to a lack of humanity and compassion. The whole presentation is clouded in a defence of what has happened rather than a genuine embracing of comments made to improve the lot of people for whom we set up a scheme because the State wronged them. That was the starting point. At the heart of this, there are women whom the State wronged and we are trying to establish a scheme that is best to deal with them. That was not the starting point. The whole presentation was a defence of what has gone on to date. Does Mr. Martin accept the Ombudsman's report was a year in the making and followed almost a year of what can only be described as a bitter dispute - it appeared in the media - between his office and the Department over the interpretation of the scheme? It was not done lightly and came after huge engagement behind the scenes? Does the Department accept that is the case?