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

I understand that point and it is something that occurred to me too. However, what we are trying to say here is that if there was a situation where a child was in a care institution, was boarded out or fostered and that did not work out and the child was sent back, it would be important that any records of that would be accessible. That is why we are including guardians, mothers and fathers because, potentially, the child could have been boarded out with or fostered by a birth parent and then sent back to an institution. We are trying to cover all possibilities and angles. I know people will look at this and say that the types of situations we are trying to cover are immense and that everything is covered by the Bill. However, when people have been consistently let down for years, if not decades, they want absolutely everything possible to be covered by this legislation to ensure that no situation is left out. That is what we are trying to achieve here.

I understand some of the points made by the Minister. There have been numerous apologies made to survivors and survivor groups over the years but the best way to honour and acknowledge that is by ensuring we respect their wishes and what they want in the wording of this legislation. It is possible to put this wording into the Bill.