Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge and welcome the non-political nature of the motion that has been proposed by the Opposition. If there is any way of agreeing a motion before tomorrow night, I encourage the Minister for Health and Children and her Cabinet colleagues to find it. That would be welcome. If we do not find agreement, there may well be good reasons for that. It is important to recognise that the House is not politically divided on this issue. Having met representatives of the patients last week, the Minister, Deputy Harney, has acknowledged that there is work to be done. When I spoke privately to the Minister in this Chamber some time ago, I asked her to meet the group. I am glad she agreed to make time within her busy schedule to do so. I was impressed with the interest the Minister showed in the matter after the meeting. Along with the patients, I look forward to the fruits of the Minister's follow-up work.

There is no point in repeating much of what has been said already in this debate. I said on local radio a long time ago that many people in Drogheda and elsewhere in the north east continue to support Mr. Shine. The same situation prevailed in the cases of Mr. Neary and two or three other doctors in the hospital who were let go or struck off, but continued to command significant public support. I understand that Mr. Shine still enjoys significant public support in the north east. It is important for those who support him to acknowledge the stories that have been told by the victims and the decision that has been made by the Irish Medical Council. I am not asking people to condemn him or to throw stones, but it is important to get over the hurdles to which I have referred. If extracts from this debate are broadcast on local radio tomorrow, I am sure I will receive some criticism for speaking, just as I did on previous occasions. I have listened to some of the victims, and their representatives, in this case. I thought I knew everything about this case until I watched the recent episode of "Prime Time Investigates" that dealt with it. I have to admit I was shocked by the programme's revelations. It is clear that this matter is even more serious and widespread than we were led to believe. It is a broad and deep matter of serious concern.

Individual cases of sexual or physical abuse come to light from time to time. I refer to the abuses that took place in certain residential institutions, the diocese of Cloyne and the archdiocese of Dublin, as well as in the case of Mr. Shine. Many other cases of sexual abuse took place in the past but have not been highlighted, unfortunately. It is likely that the victims of certain individuals are not being given the attention they need. The sexual abuse perpetrated by certain people may never come to light. As a country, Ireland is just starting to deal with this aspect of its recent history. While I have not examined the statistics closely, it seems that in the last century, Ireland was more prone than other countries to this terrible disease, which is the most benign term to use to describe it. Perhaps we should investigate the statistics that exist in this respect to find out if that is true.

There is no point in repeating what has been said, other than to welcome the Minister's promise to get back to the group shortly and to arrange serious discussions at a top level. I am glad she has spoken to the Garda Commissioner. I am conscious that the Garda investigation into this matter is ongoing. Although Deputies have a different role in this investigation, we will give the force all the support we can. If the evidence supports it, the Director of Public Prosecutions might decide in due course that a court case is required despite what has previously happened in this case.

I hope a motion can be agreed by all sides of the House, although that might not be possible for very good reasons. I am sure we will not divide politically. I wish the Minister well in her deliberations in the next few weeks. I look forward to seeing what happens when she gets back to the victims and their representatives. I acknowledge the difficult work of Dignity 4 Patients in highlighting this important issue. It is difficult for abuse victims to come together and to reveal themselves to public representatives. I admire the victims in this case for doing that. It is obvious that many of them are continuing to suffer severely. There must be a Government response to that.

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