Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

What has happened here this morning is quite significant. Even in terms of what normally goes on in this House, it is almost unprecedented to have such a strong report on ways to address the situation from the Office of the Ombudsman following two years of work. Having listened to everything that has been said, I do not feel that lessons have been learned or that points have been taken on board yet. Lip service has been paid to some of the recommendations and without the necessary urgency to implement them that screams from every page. I am glad that the ball is in our court now. I am very glad that these issues have been aired here and we can all clearly see what has happened. Our job, as a committee, is to bring this matter to the Minister's attention and to stop people hiding behind queries about where the responsibility lies. As Mr. Tyndall has said, the people who have been wrongfully excluded must be included as soon as possible. It does not matter it that takes to do so. Their inclusion must take place, as a matter of urgency which definitely was not evident before this morning. I hope that all of our participation this morning will raise the profile of this matter. That is the only thing we can do.

Finally, I pay tribute to the campaigning organisations involved such as the Justice for Magdalenes and pioneering journalists. I am famous for criticising journalists but I want to recognise the exceptional role played by Mr. Conall Ó Fátharta who writes for the Irish Examiner on these issues. Of course, I pay tribute to the women themselves. What we have learned is utterly scandalous and I am sickened by a lot of what I heard here this morning.