Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I regret having to speak on this motion, as it refers to another sorry tale from our past of how women in particular who were out of kilter with the accepted norms of society in the first half of the 20th century were treated.

In certain respects, the story of Bethany Home undoubtedly has similarities with the story of the conditions that women in Catholic institutions went through. It is a story of women who were convicted of petty crimes or had children out of wedlock. I acknowledge the damning fact that approximately 220 children died in Bethany Home between 1922 and 1949. I also acknowledge the work done by colleagues, including the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, as well as the work done by Mr. Neil Meehan and Mr. Derek Leinster in uncovering and drawing attention to this sad story, respectively. I acknowledge the fact of the unmarked graves in Mount Jerome cemetery.

I do not know all of the rights and wrongs of the situation, but from hearing Mr. Meehan speaking on the subject, it would seem clear that certain periods, particularly in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Dr. Winslow Sterling Berry was deputy chief medical adviser, were bad times for the home's infant mortality rate. However, it is important to accept the Minister of State's point, in that many people working at Bethany Home did so with the best intentions.

One of the most difficult issues relating to Bethany Home is that of redress. I have had conversations with the Minister of State and other Ministers concerning this question. While I regret the decision taken, I understand that, given the significant financial restraints under which the country is, Bethany Home could not be included in the redress scheme. It is not so much because of the numbers involved, as those are small, but because of the possible knock-on effects of such a decision.

I hope to attend the service being organised by the Bethany survivors in Mount Jerome on 2 April. If possible, I ask that the State apologise to those who were so dreadfully treated in Bethany.

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