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

It is very difficult to accept what the Minister said with regard to this being the first comprehensive report. Perhaps it is, but on what basis then did the Minister make his comments when he was in opposition about barbaric cruelty and women being treated appallingly and irrefutable evidence of State complicity?

I will now refer to the apology. In 1999, there was an apology to the survivors of industrial schools before the inquiry or the redress scheme. There was a further apology in 2009. Why is it so hard to apologise now, not just on behalf of the Government but also on behalf of the citizens of this State? We are all complicit in this.

Will the Minister at least give a commitment to work with the unit in his Department? I do not know what a two-day debate will achieve. We will have more rhetoric and political footballs. It is much more important to work with the survivors and their groups to address the issues, rather than talking about it for another two days in here.

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