Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

The report that will be officially published at 2.30 p.m. by the Ryan commission, which started as the Laffoy commission, will pierce through the culture of secrecy which for decades has covered up the extent of abuse, both physical and sexual, of young people in institutions throughout the State. In this context, I join with other Deputies in asking for time to be set aside next week to debate these reports and the recommendations emerging from them.

The commission has been sitting for nine years and what we will read in today's reports depicts events that happened in the past. What is relevant to today's Order Paper is that the culture of secrecy in this area continues at the behest of the State and its failures to provide transparency and illuminate the light of what is happening in our child care services. I will ask the Taoiseach to address a number of matters, all of which are proper to the Order of Business.

No. 72a on today's Dáil Order Paper proposes that the Monageer report, which has been censored to such a degree that even recommendations are censored, be forthwith referred to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children in full and uncensored so the committee can consider its publication and consider received submissions on recommendations. Will the Taoiseach take this motion tomorrow morning in Government time without debate? The Minister for Health and Children, subsequent to my raising this, has publically gone on the record outside the House to indicate that she may consider such procedure, giving the Government an opportunity to lift the veil of secrecy from that report.

With regard to the culture of secrecy, at present there are major problems in our child care services.

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