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

The woman in question did appeal to the Ombudsman and I saw the letter received in reply. The Ombudsman said he understood the rationale behind this person's arguments in support of her case and he was sympathetic. However, he was prevented from acting because of the nature of the scheme.

This all illustrates that the industrial schools, Magdalen laundries and mother and child homes should all have been included in a single, thorough, independent investigation. At the moment it is a piecemeal process. An Grianán presents a particularly difficult situation because of the other centres on the same site. Women were moved from one place to another on the same site. The woman in the first case I outlined received a sum of money due to the fact that she experienced the industrial school but she has not received anything for the time she spent in the laundry. No scheme is perfect and it is only apparent how these schemes have failed when individual cases are examined. I feel what I have outlined furthers the case for the inclusion of the Magdalen laundries in the inquiry into mother and child homes.

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