Dr. Mary Lodato:

I would agree with what Mr. Cronin just said. It is an ever-diminishing group of people. Believe me, there are a lot of people who could not face the redress process. It was far too traumatic. The damage of going through that process was enormous. That was an abusive system all over again. The timeframe we are talking about here is probably ten years, because most of us are in our 60s or 70s. There are probably a few in their 50s, but there are not many. The majority are in their 60s and 70s. There are probably a few in their 80s. I would say ten years.

If the Taoiseach was in this room today, I would say Ireland needs to face up to its past. It needs to treat these people with the respect and dignity which they deserve, because there is a horrendous past connected to this country. It will never move on until we face it.