Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is interesting to note the first parliamentary question about the Magdalen laundries was asked in 1938. It has taken quite a while to get from 1938 to 2013, when we now know the facts and everything that has been established. The committee hopes the report "will be a real step in bringing healing and peace of mind to all concerned, most especially the women whose lived experience of the Magdalen Laundries had a profound and enduring negative effect on their lives". On the radio this morning Felice Gaer from the UN Committee against Torture stated the State must ensure the women obtain redress and have an enforceable right to compensation. The report is complex and the best tribute to it is to start acting on what has been found. There is no doubt there was State complicity. Will the Minister offer a dedicated unit in the Department to work with Justice for Magdalenes to address these issues and look for what the ladies have been looking for, starting with an apology?

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