Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)

First, I offer my heartfelt sympathy and support to the survivors of abuse in institutions in this State. Some are in the Visitors Gallery this evening, and I salute their courage and determination. Only for them this issue would never have reached the light of day. Only for the survivors, their families, friends and campaigners the cosy cartel of church and State would have continued.

Citizens of this State have been done a service by those who have campaigned for justice and compensation for the survivors of abuse in institutions. For too long their voices went unheard. In fact, for decades they were simply silenced by the crozier and by those in positions of power. Unfortunately, some of those people sat in the seats we sit in today. They chose not to see, hear or do anything to address the massive abuse that was taking place in institutions in this State. Over the years and after many column inches, documentaries and reports, a Bill is finally before the House. Unfortunately, however, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill has serious shortcomings. Many people had great hopes that the new Government of Fine Gael and the Labour Party would listen and act in the survivors' best interests, but that does not appear to be the case.

Having met with some of the survivors' campaigning groups I agree with their analysis that this Bill must be amended if it is to meet the need of survivors and their families. There are a number of key issues. First, the compensation available must be expanded to include children and grandchildren of survivors, for many of them have suffered because of the abuse visited upon their fathers, mothers and grandparents. They have had to live with and endure pain and suffering for crimes committed against their loved ones and they deserve adequate compensation.

Second, survivors who have not received compensation from the current redress board must be covered by this Bill. People who did not put their case before the current redress board suffered no less than those who did. Many did not put their cases forward for genuine, personal reasons. In some cases it caused too much pain; in others they simply did not want their families to know about the pain and suffering they had gone through. Some were resident outside this jurisdiction at the time. These are all sound, genuine reasons and the Minster must amend the Bill to take account of them. If the Bill excludes one person, it is fundamentally flawed and must be amended. The Bill must be as inclusive and humane as possible.

Third, in the case of survivors who have passed away, their next of kin must be allowed to apply for compensation for the reasons I have just outlined. The abuse that was suffered did not simply end once somebody was buried. Abuse of this nature can affect families for generations if it is not addressed properly.

Another serious concern is the length of time it will take to administer the fund. Many people eligible for this fund are already in their latter years. The fund must be distributed with minimum bureaucracy. A time frame must be agreed to ensure applications are processed with ease and speed and the compensation is distributed as quickly as possible. The fear for many is that the bureaucracy surrounding the fund will become more important than the survivors. That cannot be allowed happen. There should be no gravy trains for the lawyers or administrators of the fund.

Finally, it is my understanding that of the €110 million being made available only €17 million is available in cash. The rest is in the form of land and buildings. If this is a fact, I urge the Government to front-load the remaining €93 million into the fund so the full compensation is available. In conclusion, I appeal to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, to redraft the Bill to make it more inclusive, robust and accessible for the people it is meant to support.

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