Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Deputy Ross is correct in asking us to seek exactly the decision-making process and what happened with those moneys. The matter has given rise to public comment.

On the issue of Positive Action, I am sure it no longer exists. I would like us to be conscious that it was an advocacy and service group that represented people who were poisoned by the State and suffered as a result of direct negligence by the State. That is not to say that we do not get to the bottom of this issue - it is absolutely legitimate. In terms of how we approach this issue, we need to be very clear that whatever happened with that pot of money and whatever flaws need to be identified. That should be done in a spirit of recognising that Positive Action existed, in the first instance, because women were damaged and had their rights violated by the State. I say that for the record because we need to keep it in mind as we proceed.