Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Will the Minister agree that this barbaric act should never have been carried out in the first place? What we are looking at is a decreasing cohort because of the age profile and there is a need for great urgency in addressing the issue. They have been grievously wronged and the least that can be done for them is for these women to benefit from a redress scheme, including health benefits and entitlements. As noted in his reply, it may be the Minister's understanding or assumption that all of these people are in receipt of health benefits and entitlements but the contrary is the case, they are not all in receipt of such services and this is a serious matter. I met these people in recent weeks and I can indicate that such services do not apply across the board.

The key question for each of these women is whether the Minister will establish a truly independent inquiry. Will he put a timeframe on the Attorney General's consideration and when does he expect to be in a position to announce specific details of a redress scheme that will address the needs of these women?

See this speech in context