Ms Carmel McDonnell Byrne:

I think there should be a little more emphasis on shame and stigma. We did get the then Taoiseach's apology, but that was more than 20 years ago.

As a result of Covid-19, it has unfortunately shifted back on people because they felt so isolated, so lost, even though we were doing classes on Zoom. They missed coming in to mix with people who came from the same institutions. There was a huge void for them and they felt unwanted, unloved and almost felt as though they were back in an institution again, but this time the institution of their own homes. We would like even a few sentences just to say that our people did nothing wrong. We actually did nothing wrong but we are paying a huge price. It never goes away. Counselling is a fantastic service. I highly recommend it. However, in a situation like that where people have been isolated for three years, when you try to get them back in you realise they have gone back further than we ever thought they would. That is what heightened my concern for people ending up in the care system again. I can see exactly what is going to happen. They will die very quickly.