Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

When I met a number of Mr. Shine's victims, who were naturally very upset and annoyed, I was devastated by what I was told. I am glad the Minister, Deputy Harney, has also met some of the victims. She has given them a commitment to consult the Attorney General, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the rest of her Cabinet colleagues and to report back to them within three weeks. I assure Deputy Shatter, who suggested earlier that Deputies are divided on this case, that we are not divided. In the past, Deputies who represent constituencies in the north east worked closely together on the Dr. Neary case. I am sure we will work in the same manner in this instance. It is horrifying that Mr. Shine was able to abuse up to 132 patients over 32 years. The scale and length of his reign of terror is terrifying. He ruined lives and robbed children of their innocence and childhood. Some victims — young boys and girls — were repeatedly abused both as inpatients and outpatients. His continuous abuse was the greatest betrayal of the trust his patients placed in him. People of my generation were raised to trust their doctors. This catalogue of horrors dates back to the early 1970s, when the Medical Missionaries of Mary ran the hospital in Drogheda. This sad affair is another indication of the endemic culture of protection and denial that has persisted for too long across all sections of society.

In 2003, following a court case, Mr. Shine was acquitted of 11 counts of indecent assault on six teenage boys. He was struck off by the Irish Medical Council last year. As Mr. Shine has not been convicted in the courts, he is not on the register of sex offenders. More than 15 years have passed since an official complaint was first made to the Garda in this case. Mr. Shine obviously had considerable support within the hospital long before any complaints were made to it. The culture of collusion and conspiracy that has prevailed in such institutions is detrimental to all of us, and our family members, who are potential patients. When we entrust our care to doctors, nurses and members of religious orders, we must ensure we are treated with respect and dignity. The professional duty of care of nurses and doctors should be to patients, rather than to their colleagues. Our hospitals do great work, in the main. People are at their most vulnerable when they are admitted to hospital. We must educate those who are young and those who are not so young about what to expect when they go to hospital. They need to know what is acceptable and what is not. They should know what they can report, and to whom, when they believe inappropriate situations have arisen. The availability of 24-hour patient liaison personnel is necessary. Information on patient liaison personnel, such as their contact numbers, should be given to patients as soon as they are admitted to hospital. I compliment Dignity 4 Patients on the marvellous work it has done to date and for the way it has gone about it. I appeal to the Minister and her Cabinet colleagues to take the right action when they make their decision on this matter. I have great confidence in them.

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