Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would make a brief observation and it is in no way intended to be a personal one. It is just part of the discussion and the dialogue. I am just concerned about an aspect of this matter. The length of time spent at the site of the trauma does not correlate in any way with the outcomes of the trauma. Trauma is an inevitable organic and automatic consequence of being in the wrong place at the wrong time but there is no evidence whatsoever that its depth equates to the length of time spent at that place. There cannot be a quantitative measure of the manner in which trauma is inflicted. It is a qualitative, experiential phenomenological event in someone’s life. If one is exposed to those circumstances, one automatically qualifies irrespective of the length of time. That is evidence based.

The other thing I am concerned about is the arbitrary decision to disregard or exclude time spent in utero. Again, this is not evidence based. It is not an intellectual position. There has been an a prioriassumption that we are just not going to consider that. I would reference those two factors taken together. I point to the absence of an evidence basis leading to an arbitrary, unnecessary and cruel distinction between categories of survivors based on six months, one day or three months in residence. Given that we will spend so much money on this scheme as a republic, is it possible at any stage in the process to reverse or remove that provision? I do not know if that can be done or if it is something we would have to revisit. I would be concerned about that.

Regarding the expert advice that was consulted, without naming those experts what were their disciplines or their professional formation? How could they be replied upon to have arrived at those conclusions when to me as a layperson it is quite clear? I have published on trauma as an academic but the approach being pursued in this instance seems very clearly not to be evidence based. I am curious to know what was discipline area or the professional formation of the experts the Department consulted in drafting these arbitrary timeframes of six months, one day etc.