Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is not difficult to say that. The Minister, Deputy Shatter, when in opposition, was proven to be correct because the report points out the involvement of the State in the placing of 25% of those women, through one route or another, in Magdalen laundries.

I do believe the stories of the women. I do believe that this is the truth about what happened to them, about their lives and their life experience. I do believe that the Government has a duty to act on the findings of this report in bringing reconciliation and closure to a very sensitive and sad period in the lives of so many women who lived in this country. The information contained in sections of this report was not available previously, including the financial accounts pertaining to the running of the laundries and the evidence given by the religious orders. While elements of that were apparent and published in other reports, there is information here that was not seen before.

I accept, as the country knows, that these women have waited a very long time for this report to emerge. I also believe that it is the duty and responsibility of a responsible government to examine the report, to reflect on it and to decide on the best thing to do. I have given my word on this and I need the space of a short period to put in place a process by which we can deal with this. Obviously, we will have an opportunity to discuss it further in two weeks time. I realise that many of these women are now elderly and some are not in very strong and robust health. Therefore, in respect of these people, time is not on our side and it is a case of having a clear strategy as to how best to deal with it and that is what the Government will do.

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