Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

On the publication of this report yesterday, all of us in this House revisited the tragic situation that happened in Monageer two years ago. We send our deepest sympathy again to the family concerned and their relatives. It is a very difficult issue and time for them whenever this issue comes back into the public domain in the way it has as a result of the publication of this report. All of us are sensitive to those concerns and conscious of the sensitivities of the family members.

The redaction in the report is for legal reasons. The full report would have been seen by the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister of State at the office of children. The report brought to Government would have included the redactions but the Minister for Health and Children and the Minister of State with responsibility for children would have indicated in broad terms the issues involved.

It is important to point out that it is not for the purpose of censoring the report that these redactions were made. There are other points raised in regard to the provision of and the need to improve services, which are clearly part of the report and are published. I want to make it clear that it is for legal reasons only that the redactions have been made.

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