Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

When the Ryan report was published, there was recognition in this House that the terrible abuse, the horrific cruelty, the unpardonable neglect meted out to children, demanded of us an exceptional response. We could not carry on in our usual way. The wording of the agreed motion reflected a united and democratic will across all the parties in the House to rise above political wrangling to make a difference in the light of the suffering of others caused by a failure by church and State to protect children from attack.

We all know we cannot undo the wrong, nor repair the damage. Every childhood lasts a lifetime and when a child is abused or hurt, the experience is burned into the psyche. However, we can and must still try to make a difference. This Bill is aimed to deal with important and pressing issues. The definition of the child needs to be brought into line with the legal definition used until 1985. This would ensure that people who have been refused redress would be included in the process - hardly a contentious issue, one would think. Nor is the proposal to extend the deadline for applications to include a small minority of people who, for whatever reason, did not apply in time - Deputy Ardagh has made this point better than I. We also propose a measure to wipe clean the criminal records relating to committal to an institution. We should not under estimate the burden that many survivors feel they still carry as a result of these court records.

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