Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I thank my colleagues for the opportunity to say a few words during this important debate.

I served as Minister at the Department of Education and Science for two and a half years, during which time I dealt with this issue and met with many of the survivors individually and in groups. At all times during my meetings with the survivors they stated their need to be believed, to get an apology and for the opportunity to tell their stories. They are the three issues which, during my time as Minister at that Department, I believed passionately needed to be done.

Painful and all as are the details of this report, I am glad Mr. Justice Ryan has delivered it in a timely fashion. I commend Mr. Justice Ryan, whom I appointed, for his work, the job done and the speed with which he completed the report without in any way lessening the chances of the victims to tell their stories. I am aware that the contents of the report have shocked and appalled everyone. The scale and extent of the systemic abuse outlined is such that it is difficult to comprehend. I know many Members of the House only heard or read of the scale of the abuse for the first time when the report was published a few weeks ago. They might now better understand why in 2002, as Minister for Education and Science, I initiated a review of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse.

In March 2003, I travelled to London to meet with the survivors who resided in the UK. I was requested to do so by survivor groups in Ireland who made the point that while the Taoiseach made his apology here in Ireland, many victims lived abroad, quite a number of them in the UK. They wanted to personally hear an apology from the Government and from the State.

I spent a day in London with more than 200 survivors who told me many shocking stories which were similar to those set out in the Ryan report. This meeting convinced me that victims and survivors needed to have their stories told and publicly confirmed sooner rather than later. Many of the survivors were seriously concerned that they would be dead before they had the chance to tell their stories to the commission and, through the Ryan report, the public. The wanted to be able to face their abusers and describe to them the impact of their abuse while they were still alive.

That is why I reviewed the workings of the commission and gave it a new mandate, following consultations with survivor groups, when Mr. Justice Ryan agreed to take over from Ms Justice Laffoy. The wait for survivors would be between 11 and 15 years if we had not conducted this review. I pay tribute to Mr. Justice Ryan for his work in bringing these stories to public attention so that the victims and survivors can feel some vindication.

I benefited from a good education by the Christian Brothers. Most fair minded people would acknowledge that the vast majority of the religious who taught in our schools were not involved in this abuse. However, I was appalled at the attitude taken by the representatives of the congregations when I met them in December 2003 to request that they pay to the State the €6 million they received from their insurance companies as an ex gratia payment. I told the congregations that they had a moral obligation to hand over this money. We subsequently repeated the request twice in writing but were refused on both occasions. This underlined the official attitude of the congregations, and we have heard other stories about their treatment of victims in the context of the redress board.

We cannot and should not forget this shameful period in our history. I acknowledge the work Mr. Justice Ryan has done in bringing these stories to the public.

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