Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Martin for raising this issue in a sensitive manner. I want to personally welcome the apology that was made yesterday by the acting Garda Commissioner to Joanne Hayes and her family. As Tánaiste, I also want to join the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Taoiseach in apologising on behalf of the State. I was thinking yesterday, as I am sure others were, of where I was and what age I was at that time. I was starting secondary school and would like to think it was a very different Ireland in terms of the approach to women and pregnancy in those days. However, I also accept the point that real policing mistakes were made. There were also mistakes made in the subsequent tribunal in terms of how a woman and her family were questioned. The way in which the tribunal was conducted was described as insensitive, very, very frightening, harrowing, quite horrific and shameful by the Dáil committee on women's rights subsequently. There are lessons here for the State. There is also a need to respond to the family's wish for privacy so that a woman who had to go through an extraordinary ordeal of accusation and blame does not have to relive that awful period in her life. Her extended family should not have to go through that either.

I wish to restate the Taoiseach's apology to Joanne Hayes and her family. In terms of the final question that Deputy Martin asked about compensation, we will certainly try to deal with this issue in as sensitive a manner as possible but I am not empowered or at liberty to say right now how that should take place. However, I am sure that it is something on which the Government will try to make a quick decision.

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