Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Intermittently the name "Grace" has been mentioned in this Chamber. Deputy Deasy has campaigned with compassion and determination to bring her story to light. Daniel McConnell, Fergus Finlay, Colm Ó Mongáin and others have done much work they can be proud of too. Over the weekend we heard more about the appalling mismanagement of Grace's case. On the "This Week" programme, it was revealed that the HSE did not contact the Garda about making public the two reports into Grace's care until three years after those reports were completed.

Yesterday, we heard for the first time from Grace's mother. She was a young single mother in the late 1970s. The Taoiseach has referenced that sort of person and the attitude of this country to that sort of person in his previous replies. She kept in touch with the South Eastern Health Board and regularly called for updates on her daughter's welfare. Here we have a young woman who was reassured that Grace was happy attending day services in a loving, caring home. As she said yesterday, "that made me happy knowing that she was happy and that's what I was made to believe".

The State failed a young woman. Along the way whistleblowers were cast aside. Visible bruising and sexualised behaviour were ignored.

This young woman was abused, beaten, denigrated and the State acted as a facilitator. For eight years, Grace's mother has gone through a living hell, knowing the level of depravity that was meted out to her defenceless daughter. For all of that time, the State agencies concealed the full extent of the truth from her. The greatest harm, of course, was done to Grace herself.

Apologies for historical ill-treatment have become more commonplace in recent years. Yet, here we stand again today. Apologies repeated over time lose their impact and their meaning. Historical recrimination and remorse can sometimes conclude in a line in the sand, but not in this case. Grace was not protected until 2009, while reckless endangerment was made an offence in the State from 1997. The Children Act 2001 created an offence for any person who had custody, charge or care of a child who wilfully allowed a child to be assaulted, ill-treated, neglected, abandoned or exposed in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to the child’s health or well-being.

Will the Taoiseach confirm that the terms of reference of the commission of inquiry will cover the care received by all children in this particular foster home? Conor Dignam recommended under the heading, “Care and Decision Making in respect of Others”, a commission should investigate a range of matters broader than the Grace case. These included all claims made in the protected disclosures that gave rise to the inquiry, the care received by all persons placed in that foster home, including whether they suffered abuse and whether the Health Service Executive knew, and the use of this placement by another unnamed person. The proposed terms of reference must not seek to shut the door on these matters, or, at least, try to postpone the proper inquiry to a later date.

Second, will the Taoiseach explain to the House whether a criminal investigation into this case is now under way?

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