Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to thank those on all sides of the House who have contributed to this important discussion since it commenced.

Last Tuesday, 19 February 2013, was a very important day for former residents of the Magdalen laundries. It was the day when the Taoiseach, on behalf of the State, acknowledged their hurt and apologised for their suffering as a result of their being admitted to and working in Magdalen laundries and the stigma many of them have felt throughout their lives. It was the day when the State acknowledged the extent to which time spent in the laundries tragically blighted the lives of so many. It was the day when the State finally opened its heart and accepted its moral duty to those who felt abandoned and lost and believed they had no future. It was a day of extraordinary events in this Chamber, when many of the women who had resided in the Magdalen laundries sat and listened and finally understood that what they had to say was believed and that the State acknowledged that what they had been saying for so many years was true. It was a day when the State stopped ignoring their plight, as it had done for far too many years. It was a day on which this House responded appropriately to the report published by the former Senator Dr. Martin McAleese. It was also an extraordinary day because it is one of the only times I can recollect when Members on all sides of this House stood to applaud those in the Visitors' Gallery. It was, in brief, a day of genuine and high emotion.

It is important to remind ourselves again of the long journey taken by these women and to thank them for having the courage, determination, tenacity and persistence over so many years to ensure their stories were told, heard and ultimately believed. Despite the many obstacles in their way and all the difficulties they faced, they did not allow themselves to be dissuaded from their pursuit of truth and justice. Most importantly, the veil of secrecy surrounding the laundries has at long last been fully lifted and can never again be replaced.

From the outset, the Government, commencing with the appointment of Dr. McAleese to chair an interdepartmental committee, was determined to address this issue, which had been ignored for so many years. Upon taking up office as Minister for Justice and Equality I was determined that this issue would be addressed and within three months of our entering government the decision was made that a committee such as this would be formed and the work required would be undertaken. I again thank Dr. McAleese for his report, which chronicled the reality and harshness of life in the laundries and the extent to which not only the State but Irish society was involved, and which shed light on what happened within those walls and how so many of our people - citizens of this State - came to be admitted to and work in the laundries. I am grateful to Dr. McAleese and the interdepartmental committee which he chaired so capably. I also thank those who assisted him - most importantly, the women who experienced life in the laundries; the various Departments and State agencies which co-operated fully and trawled extensively through records going back over the decades that provided so much new information; and the representative and advocacy groups. We must also thank the religious congregations who co-operated fully with the committee and who made their records available. I realise these are difficult times for them too and it is important to recognise their co-operation and their contribution to this process. On all sides records were made available that had not for decades seen the light, which have helped to fill out the full and comprehensive story of the decades of the Magdalen laundries.

As Dr. McAleese pointed out at the start of his report, there is no single or simple story of the Magdalen laundries. More than 10,000 women are known to have entered the laundries from the foundation of the State in 1922 until the closure of the last laundry in 1996. We must now address the needs of those who are still with us, arising from the hurt they experienced during and due to their time in the laundries. That is the intention of this Government and that is what we are doing.

Since publication of the McAleese report, the Taoiseach has met with as many of the women who experienced life in the laundries as possible. The Taoiseach, the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and I recently travelled to the UK to meet with the Irish Women Survivors' Support Network, which represents the largest grouping. Here in Ireland, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste met with women represented by Magdalene Survivors Together and the Taoiseach met also with women living in nursing homes or sheltered accommodation under the care of the religious congregations. The Minister of State and I also met with representative groups since the debate in this House on Tuesday of last week.

As announced last week, the Government has decided to establish a fund for the benefit of those who were admitted to and worked in Magdalen laundries, and also those who worked without pay in the residential laundry at Stanhope Street. The Government has appointed the retired High Court Judge and current President of the Law Reform Commission, Mr. Justice Quirke, to examine how, in view of the McAleese report, the Government might best provide supports, including health services such as medical cards, psychological and counselling services and other welfare needs, for the women who need such supports as a result of their experiences.

It is important not only to acknowledge the experiences of many of the women in the laundries, but also to consider how to address their future needs. It is especially important to pursue measures that will promote healing and reconciliation and will, as far as possible, provide closure to them. Mr. Justice Quirke has been asked to advise on the establishment of a scheme under the fund including identifying the criteria and factors to be taken into account, such as work undertaken in the laundries for no remuneration. He will advise on the operation of the fund and, in particular, the nature and amount of payments to be made out of the fund. He will report back to the Government in three months when a decision will be made on the detailed operation of the fund. I know the work Mr. Justice Quirke has been asked to undertake is already under way. He will also set the procedure for the determination of applications in a manner that ensures the moneys in the fund are directed only to the benefit of eligible applicants and are not used for legal fees and expenses. Let me make it very clear that women who have already received payments under the residential institutions redress scheme are not being excluded. There is one small area of possible overlap. I understand that under the redress scheme a woman who went straight from an industrial school to a Magdalen laundry may have received a redress payment for the period spent in the Magdalen laundry up to the age of 18. Mr. Justice Quirke has been asked to take this into account and to address how we might deal with this aspect of the matter.

On Tuesday, 19 February, contact details for the Magdalen laundry fund were made available to enable people to register their interest in being considered for receipt of benefits or supports from the fund when it enters into operation. These contact details are as follows: Magdalene Laundry Fund, Department of Justice and Equality, Montague Court, Montague Street, Dublin 2. The telephone number is 01 4768649. An e-mail address and website are also available. To date, more than 700 women have made contact. This registration process will allow people time to gather the necessary basic documentation that will be required to verify their identities and their stays in the relevant institutions. It may also give some indication of the numbers who have an interest in such a fund or in receiving assistance.

As announced last week, the Government has decided in principle to pay out of the fund an initial sum to the proposed UK Step by Step centre for Irish survivors of industrial schools and laundries. This payment will be made as soon as the legal technicalities have been clarified, and work is under way on this.

The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, and I have again, since last week's debate, been in touch with the representative groups. One of the issues under consideration is the establishment of some form of memorial for the story of the Magdalen laundries as we now know it. The women who spent time in the laundries have been asked to consider the nature and location of a memorial they would deem suitable. The Minister of State and I will shortly meet with the four religious congregations to discuss matters arising out of the McAleese report, including the need to access the records of the laundries again in the context of the operation of the scheme that is being established.

This Government commenced the process of addressing the issue of the Magdalen laundries and is determined to see it through. We will try to do this as quickly, effectively and compassionately as possible. That is the least we can do for the women who were admitted to and worked in the laundries.

That is what they deserve and that is what the State must do. I, as Minister for Justice and Equality, along with the Government, am committed to this. I thank Members for their earnest and considered contributions to this debate. Some questions were raised during the debate as to how the proposed redress scheme will operate. These are all questions that will be answered when Mr. Justice Quirke has concluded his work on the matter which he has already commenced. I look forward to bringing those answers to the House when the work is concluded and we receive a report from Mr. Justice Quirke as to how we best deal with these matters in the interests of the women concerned.

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