Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I understand the UN Human Rights Committee will express its disagreement with the Minister at its next hearing. It is not acceptable that elderly women who were butchered in their youth, who lost connections with their children and relationships with their husbands, and who continue to live in pain are being forced to participate in this scheme. As the Minister pointed out, the overwhelming majority of these women were offered a paltry payment of €50,000. That is one third of the amount the judge administrating the scheme will be paid in a year. The five people who got the maximum payment because of a lifetime of agony are still getting less than what the judge is paid in one year. That exposes the severe limitations to the scheme. I am aware of the recent court case but the criticisms made by the UN committee about the fact that people were being exonerated and that nobody took responsibility will be taken further. The Minister will have to revisit the matter on human rights grounds because his response is not good enough.

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