Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 9, to delete lines 10 to 24.

I will be withdrawing amendment No. 7 but I wish to speak on the other amendments in the group, amendments Nos. 8 to 10, inclusive.

Amendment No. 8 seeks to ensure that all agencies, organisations and individuals which were involved with the care of children and mothers who were separated from them are included. Amendment No. 9 is in the same vein or spirit and provides that any institution, agency, organisation or individual involved in the separation of mothers and their children should be covered. In relation to amendment No. 10, it was brought to our attention that not all care was provided by institutions. We know that there were some ad hocarrangements but there may have been periods of time when a child was with his or her mother or father but then moved back into an institution. Our aim is to ensure that all of those situations are covered.

I stress again in relation to these amendments that they are strengthening the Bill and the language therein. If the Department and the Minister really believe that everything is covered, I do not see why they would have a difficulty with including some of these language changes just to strengthen the Bill and to signal to the people affected that all situations will be covered. Again, I stress that there is distrust. That distrust is understandable, given the years of being let down, for want of a better phrase. When one reads these amendments, one sees that their aim is to strengthen what is already in the Bill. I do not see why we cannot include stronger language.