Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It still seems that there is a discrepancy; there is a difference between it and what was anticipated. Even if it was not addressed by Mr. Justice Quirke, it was clearly a Government decision and at least was interpreted in that way by the Department. On that basis, this is, according to the Department, a question of interpretation. When the case was taken initially, the Department was central to it and how it came into the public domain. It is related to the complaints made to the Ombudsman. When the case was taken against the Department, did it occur to it that it had a problem in that it had a category of persons who were subject to one of the broad themes that at the very least had been considered by Mr. Justice Quirke in relation to forced labour. They were clearly seen as having been on the same campus as a Magdalen laundry and to a large extent could have been interpreted as having been as part of the same institution, but they would not qualify and were taking a case against the Department. At that stage, did it occur to it that this was a difficulty, that there was a potential discrepancy, that the matter needed to be addressed politically and that the officials needed to go to the Minister who needed to get consent from the Government to revisit the issue? Was that aspect ever considered at that juncture?