Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I want to recognise my former boss, Joan Burton, in the Gallery. It is great to have her here. We are anxious to get this right. In this space, we have done well as a collective and Oireachtas. However, that has led to difficulties and added stress upon stress for those who feel the political system is not adequately reflecting in legislation what is needed. This is one of the greatest stains on the 100-year history of the State. The witnesses have all mentioned that what happened disproportionately affected people from more disadvantaged backgrounds and who had fewer resources available to them. Ms McDonnell Byrne spoke about people she deals with not even being able to talk to their spouses and children about what took place. There is an intergenerational issue here in terms of how trauma passes down through the generations. It does not just stop with one person. Those who work in an area of acute disadvantage know trauma is filtered down, and is unaddressed and has not been addressed. Will the witnesses speak about the intergenerational nature of what we are dealing with? Will they outline the potential supports that could be put in place, not just for the individuals directly affected but also those around them? Is that something the witnesses have thought about or something they would welcome? Is it something that should be fitted into the Bill or is that a bit of a reach?