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

We used to consider the Famine the darkest moment in our history given the loss of life and the cruelty associated with the abundance of food available at the time while people starved. However, we know there have been much darker moments relating to industrial schools, Magdalen laundries, mother and baby homes, symphysiotomy, thalidomide and clerical abuse. There has been an appalling litany of tragedies and the one common denominator is the cruel and inhuman treatment of children and young women. We have had commissions of investigation, reports and a redress board but there were shortcomings in all the reports and people have been left dissatisfied. The same people have been let down in their lives year after year by their families, communities, institutions and the State. They still feel today that they have not received justice.

The first issue is the importance of getting this 100% right in order that there are no unanswered questions or outstanding issues following the commission of inquiry. It is hoped that the commission will be comprehensive enough to cover all this but there are concerns, one of which relates to the Magdalen laundries. There is a connection between them and mother and baby homes. I understand the concern that the commission will deal only with the role they played. Will that be sufficient? I note from the Minister's comments that article 15 provides that the commission will have regard to the facts established through previous inquires into related institutions. However, there are grave concerns about the outstanding issues following the McAleese report. While the remit was narrower, it did not take into account the 769 pages of testimony by women that were gathered by the Justice for Magdalenes group in which they expressed their pain and suffering. Any narrative has to honour the lives of those who lived in the institutions and how they were confined and treated.

There are issues relating to that report including discrepancies between the length of stay as reported in the McAleese report and discrepancies with other electoral registers and grave records. There is also a need to look at those Magdalen ladies who moved to other institutions such as nursing homes and who died in those institutions. They are not considered Magdalen people. There were concerns that the pain and suffering of the women were not taken into account. I think there is a big area there for the commission.

We know that the connections between industrial schools, Magdalen laundries and mother and baby homes so the natural conclusion is that they would be gathered. Should I finish and come back?

See this speech in context