Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In rising to speak on this motion, like many Deputies I regret that I must do so. I was struck by the Minister of State's closing remarks last night. I commend her and the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, on their work. I want the House to reflect on the Minister of State's closing words, when she stated: "I am not here to defend those who ran Bethany Home...but I am certainly not in a position to condemn them out of hand in the way proposed by Sinn Féin." If this motion does anything, it will heighten awareness and allow us to respect more those who had to endure being put into a home.

In many ways, what we have seen over the past decade or so has been a continuing narrative describing across a generation and many decades the unfortunate treatment of those men and women on the margins of society. Industrial schools, residential institutions and Magdalen laundries are just a few of the high profile examples of neglect, mistreatment and abuse of those on the margins of this society, in many cases at the hands of people who were put on a pillar - members of the clergy, those whom the State believed were immune from prosecution or even being considered guilty of wrong doing and, in some cases, family members. For many years, these transgressions against human decency were hidden, often known but sheltered from full view. They were unspeakable and not to be spoken about.

Thankfully, that day has passed. We can be thankful for the way this House and the Government have approached the horrific examples of inhumane treatment. I will pose a challenge for the Members opposite. Rather than dividing the House, they should judge the Government on its record on the Magdalen laundries and the report on child clerical abuse. It is a question of respect for the human decency of all citizens, given the abuse and neglect of the most vulnerable. If we were to examine and reflect upon what we have learned from the reports and investigations, we would see that the House and the Government have been open and transparent in their coverage and treatment of people and in what they have done for those people.

There is also a wider societal debate on how we care for those who are not as fortunate as people who have adequate support structures. We have matured as a society. We are now open and honest about confronting our past while recognising that wrongs must be corrected.

In all of these instances of abuse and mistreatment, there have been trends. It was most often those on the margins who were subjected to degrading treatment. People in industrial schools and residential institutions were often those who did not have what was perceived as being the traditional, robust family support structure. Some made what may have been considered minor transgressions for which they were made pay to an inordinate extent. This was the shame of the Ireland of yesteryear. The church and the State cast an aspersion on young women who got pregnant, on men and women who committed suicide and on people who did very silly things. They were made to pay an extraordinary price. I hope that this generation of Irish citizens will be more mature in confronting societal norms and views. The society of yesteryear had an idealised image of people, how they should live and how they should be perceived. Those of us, then and now, who fall short of the ideal are often shunned and made to feel outcasts. That is not the Ireland that I want to see portrayed or in which I want to live. There is a duty on us all, including members of the Government and church leaders North and South, to ensure that the Ireland in which we live is free from that type of awful behaviour.

Our treatment of people on the margins of society went beyond the examples I have mentioned. It also extended to mental health and the incarceration for years of people, many of whom should never have been put into institutions. Society's mistreatment extended to children, who suffered abuse that was hidden and covered up. Society's mistreatment also extended to those who happened to be gay or lesbian or were pregnant outside of marriage.

Again, because they fell short of the ideal, they could not lead a life that was true to their identity.

We must never again allow a situation where those who live on the edge of society are affected and are judged wrongly and badly. Tonight we are discussing Bethany Home and those who found themselves there - women on the margins of society, women who found themselves in the criminal justice system who should never have been put there, women who were pregnant and who should never have been put away and the children of these women who were there for a number of years before being fostered. I heard the reply given by the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, last night. I refer back to my remarks regarding the deputy leader of Sinn Féin who wants to forget her past and who should forget her past and apologise to the Irish State.

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