Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is my first opportunity since last week to publicly acknowledge the apology by the Taoiseach. It is fair to say that if the day the report was published was a low point, the apology last week was a high point and is to be commended. It must, however, be underpinned by the action promised. Many of those involved are older women, and if they are to take advantage of the few comforts left in their later years, these must be forthcoming in a generous and easy way, such that the women do not have to wade through a quagmire to get redress. These women must be our first concern at all times.

The McAleese report was defective, as its terms of reference were limited. While it did serve to highlight the State's involvement, the omission of 800 pages of testimony was important. It appears to underplay the violence that many of the women spoke about. Dr. McAleese worked diligently to produce the report in a limited time period and with limited resources, and he proved the central point.

Just as the doors were closed for so many years to the Magdalen women and were opened by the acknowledgement of the apology, those doors remain closed to the survivors of the Bethany Home. That needs to change now, because if we do not address it, that will be our legacy.

It was the late Mary Raftery who opened up the possibility of looking at the Ireland of the past, but it is not that far in the past. Some of us here, at least Deputy Durkan and I, share some memories of that Ireland. Mary Raftery consistently complained about the lack of availability of records. I recall an event at which she spoke, in which she complained specifically about records at the Department of Education and Skills.

If her legacy is to be acknowledged, then the availability of records must form some part of the redress. Up to 10,000 women were involved in these laundries. Accordingly, we will be dealing with hundreds when it comes to redress. Families will want to re-attach or reposition relatives who were in laundries, many of whom are no longer with us, and understand why they were placed there. Recently, I received an e-mail from an individual who falls into this category. His grandmother was in an industrial school and then a Magdalen laundry. He is now searching for her parents. Essentially, he is looking for the records, particularly those of the religious orders, to be part of the redress scheme and to be made available to people who have a connection with a laundry. He is not seeking to have these publicly available as he understands there are sensitivities with regard to the information involved. However, he has to go on his bended knees to the Sisters of Mercy to get information on his grandmother and her circumstances. He has made an exhaustive search in the General Register Office. From my experience of research in the office, I know one has to go through many records to prove a connection. In the case of this individual, he has gone through 60 records, which has incurred costs for him. It matters to him because he was very fond of his grandmother. He feels he has to make some redress to her to understand the circumstances behind her incarceration in an industrial school and, subsequently, a Magdalen laundry. His family's speculation is that his grandmother's mother died young and her children were handed over by their father to the order. In my research in the Roscommon-Ballinasloe area, I found many cases in which, when a mother died young, the church presumed it would collect the children and put them into orphanages or industrial schools. In the case I referred to, it may well be a maligned version of the truth when it comes to widowed great-grandfather.

I understand why people want to comprehend what happened to their relatives. The stories behind these cases are part of the redress process. If we are going to face up to what happened with the laundries, we need to understand why it happened. It is important for people to understand why a member of their family was subjected to this treatment. The individual in question also stressed that he and his family are not looking for compensation for their grandmother. It is about putting their family back together. There are additional aspects of the redress scheme that are necessary. The religious orders must come up with some solution with regard to making available records that they still have on the laundries. The State also has a role to play in making available the records of the Department of Education and Skills. I accept that the records are personal to those involved and their families, and I am not seeking full disclosure on some form of website. However, there must be a sympathetic and thoughtful way of making those records available.

Even though I have highlighted the importance of the records, our key concern must be for those survivors who need to have redress delivered in a timely and compassionate way. However, this is not the totality of the problem. When there is engagement with the religious orders, the issue of records must be taken up with them and addressed. By being forthcoming, they could make an important contribution to a healing process that goes beyond those Magdalen laundry women who are still with us. For many families, it is an important issue to resolve.

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