Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I am now highlighting the issue of more resources, and this was also an issue highlighted in the report. Mr. Justice Ryan clearly states in his report that the legislation was overly ambitious, and this is the reason it was necessary to undertake reviews. Everybody accepted the fact that, if the commission were to continue as it was, it would not have produced a final report for at least ten years and would have cost of €200 million in lawyers' fees. Mr. Justice Ryan was of the opinion that both those figures were optimistic estimates.

I remind the House that the purpose of the commission is to give closure to victims. The Government has done everything possible in this case and will continue to help the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse. The Government apologised on behalf of the State. The objective is to deal with the people concerned and not just to argue about the cap. We wish to see the matter completed and deal with the people who were placed in institutions by the State and not properly cared for. We want to bring closure to these cases and not have an academic argument about where the cap should be.

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