Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There was a welcome recent announcement by the Department of Justice and Equality on the extension of the scheme for women who worked in Magdalen laundries to those who were excluded from the first scheme. I was disappointed to discover that women are being asked to provide evidence of having worked. I am sure the Tánaiste knows that many of the laundries do not have records. The Government tends to take affidavit statements about records from the religious orders but not, it appears, in the case of these women. I am hoping to hear that this is just a mistake on the part of the Department of Justice and Equality because it is very important that people who worked in the laundries and who were excluded, and there is all-party agreement on this, should get their money as quickly as possible because they are getting older.

I ask the Tánaiste to use his good offices to try to rectify this wrong and have the women included in the scheme.

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