The following motion was moved by Deputy Dara Calleary on Tuesday, 12 February 2012:"That Dáil Éireann: notes the comprehensive and substantive report on Magdalen Laundries completed by Senator Martin McAleese; agrees that, given the evidence in the report, an apology should be given to the women of the Magdalen Laundries by the Taoiseach, on behalf of the Oireachtas and all citizens of the State, for what they had to endure; and further agrees to the establishment of a dedicated unit within the Department of Justice and Equality to co-ordinate remaining aspects of the State's response including all forms of redress which should be provided." Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “welcomes the publication of the Final Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee chaired by Senator Martin McAleese, which was set up by Government to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalen Laundries; notes that: — the current Government was the first Government to take action on this important issue by commissioning the McAleese Report; — Government honoured its commitment to publish the McAleese Report at the earliest opportunity in the interests of the women who were admitted to, and worked in, the Magdalen Laundries run by the religious congregations and to facilitate the consultation with them which is now ongoing; and — publication of the Report itself has addressed a number of issues of major concern to the women concerned: — it is the first time we have an authoritative account of the Magdalen Laundries; — it acknowledges for the first time significant State involvement in the Magdalen Laundries; — it demonstrates that for the first time they have been listened to and that their story has been believed, recorded and given official recognition to their stories and voices; — it shows that the traditional stigmatising labels that were often attached to women who were in the Magdalen Laundries were wholly unjustified; — it acknowledges that women worked in the severe conditions for no pay, and records their memories of emotional and psychological abuse as well as the memories of some women of other ill treatment, and that their daily lives in the Laundries had the imprint of a severe monastic structure where they were viewed as penitents; and — it recognises that many women were not informed of why they were admitted to the Laundries, for how long they had to stay there, and when they could leave;further notes that the McAleese Report runs to over 1,100 pages, and tells a complex story spanning decades since the establishment of the State and onwards, that it is the result of an unprecedented trawl of State records and that much of the information in the Report has never previously been made public; further welcomes: — the publication of the McAleese Report and that the women and their representative groups have been given time and space, as a matter of fairness, to reflect fully on the substance of the Report; and — the fact that the Taoiseach and Tánaiste continue to meet with as many of the women as is practicable, so that their stories can be heard and their views can be taken into account;notes that: — Government’s major concern is to contribute to a healing and reconciliation process with a view to bringing closure for the women concerned and that the women deserve the best supports that the State can provide; and — the Report will be fully debated in the Dáil next week; and expresses confidence that, after having met with as many of the women concerned as possible and having listened to their views, the Taoiseach will respond to the significant issues identified in, and arising from, the McAleese Report, with a view to a resolution of all issues in a fair and compassionate way."- (Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch).

See this item in context