Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will chop around on a few of these issues because I am so annoyed I am losing my train of thought. Going back to the Ombudsman's findings on the various issues, Mr. Martin started by talking about the residential institution scheme. Presumably he accepts that Judge Quirke specifically said it did not matter. He accepts the courts have adjudicated it is possible to distinguish between the different types of compensation that people received under that scheme and would be eligible for under this one.

Why, therefore, would the payments received under that fund be basically dealt with as a blanket ban? Mr. Martin might comment in particular on this in light of the evidence the Department produced which showed that a number of people did not avail of that scheme, which is now closed, and, as a result of this interpretation, which was not set out at the start of the scheme but was administratively added later, some women, who have been shamefully treated by the State, could end up with nothing.