Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Joan Collins asked about the top-up pension payments. Judge Quirke’s recommendation on top-up pension type payments is being fully implemented. I have more detail on that if the Deputy would like me to give it to her.

Many of these amendments fall outside the scope of the Bill because the Bill deals specifically with the provision of health services. Many of the recommendations are being implemented outside legislation. The restorative justice ex gratiapayment scheme recommended in section 5.06 of the Quirke report already has been, and continues to be, implemented. It is not part of the Bill and it is not possible to provide that it shall be enacted by the Bill as amendment No. 17 suggests.

The recommendations on the State pension are already being implemented in full and are not part of this Bill. I addressed this issue on Second Stage and said that many of the issues being dealt with, and services being put in place, are being done outside legislation because that is the nature of the scheme. That is one of the benefits, that the scheme got up and running very quickly. Here, we are dealing with the health aspects which I hope can be enacted quickly so that the women can access these health services.

In response to Deputy Joan Collins’ point about the services available under the HAA card that are not available to the Magdalen women, those services arose because the women had hepatitis C. Judge Quirke, when he analysed this, said it would not be appropriate for many of them because the Magdalen women are not in the same category. The services were adapted under the HAA card for the women with hepatitis C. He said that in this scheme the services need to be adapted appropriately for the kind of health issues relevant to the Magdalens. I believe that is precisely what is being done by the range of health services we are covering.

I and the Department have given very full responses to any questions Members had on the detail of the payments being made or issues that have arisen. The Department and the unit dealing with the issues have been available to speak. That information can be given any time by way of parliamentary question or simply by requesting the information and I do not believe it is necessary to ask anybody else to report separately on these facts. They are already in the Official Report and will continue to be.

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