Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

I noted the Minister's remarks at the beginning of his speech. In light of yesterday's events, I was surprised he did not identify individuals in his address to the House given his remarks yesterday. Perhaps he has already given names to his friends in the Fourth Estate.

I welcome the Government's proposal, which contains a considerable amount of detail. Given that the commission will use a representative sample, I would have thought it might have been possible to examine the period before 1975. I accept the Minister's point that records produced before 1975 will be more difficult to obtain. However, if we are simply examining a representative sample of cases, we could extend the scope of investigation to the period before 1975 because we can limit the amount of cases being examined.

In that part of his speech which he did not get a chance to read, the Minister mentioned that Judge Yvonne Murphy has been offered the post of chair of the commission and I am glad to hear that she has accepted the offer. I reiterate Deputy Costello's point that it is important that everyone involved in the commission have the appropriate legal resources made available to them. I would hate to think that people would be concerned that they might not have the resources they need to carry out their duties, be they members of the public, the clergy or others.

The Minister spoke about the need to staff the commission. It is crucial that the people who are seconded or appointed to this office have an appropriate range of professional backgrounds and training. Sensitivity is a word that arises continually in this area. It is crucial that people working with the commission have the appropriate training to deal with others and cope with what they might uncover.

It is important that the clergy has sufficient resources. The Catholic Church is in crisis. Amidst a background of declining vocations, there may be problems in simply getting backroom staff. When it comes to looking at the files, sourcing them and pulling them out, I hope the Minister ensures that the church has sufficient resources to do it adequately.

I accept the point that this is a response to the "Prime Time" documentary that looked specifically at the Catholic Church in Dublin. However, a Pandora's box has been opened. It is for another time and another day, but many other bodies need to be examined, such as sports organisations that have already been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. I have no doubt this short, sharp response will lead to a greater investigation that will have to be carried out in the future. I accept this inquiry has to be short and quick. I would deeply regret if it carried on much longer than the 18 months specified, although I note that the Minister allows it to do so. It is important that we establish a coherent body of information that can inform us better on where we go in the future. I welcome this and commend the Minister in having got it this far. I wish him well in setting up the procedures.

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