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

I very much welcome what the Minister stated so that the countdown can begin from today. His point about the independent legal advice that the women can get is an important one.

I have another question. There have been discrepancies between the McAleese report and Mr. Justice Quirke's report, particularly on physical abuse of the ladies and duration of stay. I note in the McAleese report that 61% of those he interviewed were in the laundries less than one year but 58% of the admissions were not recorded in his findings, whereas in Mr. Justice Quirke's report there were 27% whose length of stay was less than one year. According to Mr. Justice Quirke's report, the length of stay of 68% of those with whom he spoke was one to five years, of 13% was five to ten years and of 9% was ten years or more. Given those discrepancies regarding length of stay and the issue of physical abuse, will the Minister be committed to holding an independent forum for survivors so that they can offer testimony regarding the length of stay and the physical abuse that they suffered?

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