Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

On the matter the Taoiseach has just addressed and the meeting of 15 April, is he aware that great upset was caused for some in attendance at that meeting by the indication that a percentage only of what was to be secured from the religious institutions would make its way to them and their loved ones? Given the advanced years in most cases of survivors there was an incredulity on the part of some I met. Did the Taoiseach not have the same experience? One could question the value of a trust fund for education and training when the average age of the survivors is 60 years of age, some of whom are much older again, and were not considering education and retraining at that point. They were hoping to enjoy a period of time for themselves and their loved ones in a very different reality to that which had been a big part of their life story to date.

In the light of the strong - I do not overstate the case - exception taken by some of the most prominent voices among the group, including a former elected representative of the Taoiseach's own party, who was hugely angered by what was outlined on that day, will the Taoiseach revisit the detail of what he outlined again today in the House? Does he not accept that the critical first matter of address is the need of the approximately 15,000 people, the survivors for whom the experience of their childhood impacted right through their adult life, and who are the very core of what this is all about? We are seeking a degree of restitution, a transfer of funding to help and assist a better quality of life, peace and an opportunity to effect closure for many of those people.

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