Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Not alone should Louise O'Keeffe not have suffered abuse at the tender age of eight in what should have been a very safe environment of her primary school, she should not have been harangued, bullied and threatened by the State. I am sure the Tánaiste will agree with me on that point but that is precisely what happened through the High Court, the Supreme Court and as far as the European Court of Human Rights. It was the Tánaiste's Government that argued the case against Louise O'Keeffe as recently as a year ago. That draws a very serious question over what he said in terms of child abuse being a historical issue. He lists the many legislative achievements, and I applaud them. They are long overdue and very necessary but so too is the necessary sea-change in terms of how the State responds to the Louise O'Keeffes of this world. There is an established pattern that the State and Government close ranks and try to shut down any call for justice from people like Louise O'Keeffe.

See this speech in context