Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

While the announcement of a delay to the commission of investigation's report is disappointing, the reasons for the delay - the sheer amount of documentary evidence - cannot, and should not, be disputed. I would have preferred it if additional resources had been requested when the scale of the documentary evidence became apparent in order for the report to be published on time. I accept the Minister's bona fides on this issue. It concerns her greatly and she does not want to add her name to the list of people in power who have let the women in question, their families and the survivors down. It is regrettable that we are not here to discuss the report in full. The survivors of mother and baby homes have waited so long. Some of them are no longer with us and, unfortunately, others may not see another year. Extending the report's finalisation date by a year should have been a last resort. Nevertheless, the preference of almost all of the survivors is that there be an acknowledgement of the horror of the mother and baby homes, an official apology to the survivor community and an interim redress payment to the elderly and dying survivor community. We do not need a report to instruct the Government that this should be done.

It is important that the report reflects the horror that the victims suffered and the role of successive Governments in facilitating these homes to operate their abuse. We should not shy away from this. Therefore, if there is a request for a further year, it is important that it be made in order to study documents and relay the truth and not be part of some whitewashing or dilution of the true horror that these survivors experienced.

I welcome the Minister's announcement, including on the establishment of a collaborative forum to support former residents in developing solutions to the issues of concern to them. Unlike one of the previous speakers, I welcome the decision to invite the UN special rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence to Ireland.

I must finish by saying the survivors from institutions included in the commission of investigation deserve justice as soon as possible. They do not deserve further delay.

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