Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. When debating it this evening, we need to be mindful that what we are discussing are the records of people's lives. They are the records of hurt, abuse, violence, marginalisation and fear. We need to be very careful about making decisions without adequate outreach to the survivors of abuse, their families and the advocacy groups that speak on their behalf.

We obviously have concerns that without new legislation, the records will be disposed of with the dissolution of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the Residential Institutions Redress Review Committee. However, at the same time, to seal and withhold these records from public access for a period of 75 years raises question marks. It seems an unreasonable period of time preventing any access. I also worry about the reference in the Bill deeming the records to be the records or possession of the Department of Education and Skills and the proposal to transfer those records to the National Archives. These records are the horrific lived experiences of the residents in all these institutions who suffered at the hands of this State. They belong to the survivors and families and nobody else. We must never forget what went on in these institutions or white wash them from our memory or that of future generations. It is part of the past and we must acknowledge and face that. We must remember that generation after generation will remember the pain and suffering caused at the hands of church and State. Are we not doing this by locking these testimonies away for 75 years? Are we nearly repeating the negative history all these people suffered? We have had redress and the various schemes and apologies. Are we now saying to these people that these records will be sealed for 75 years? I know nobody wants the records to be destroyed. That is fairly obvious but there must be some happy medium or way of meeting in the middle. I know the Minister said there are mixed views or stories but I would say that the majority of survivors or certainly those from whom we have heard are very concerned about this and concerned that they are being failed again at the hands of the State. They were obviously failed in the worst way possible but here we are in the same boat. Some common sense must be applied here. We need consultation with the survivors' groups and families and to look at whether there is some way of meeting in the middle. A period of 75 years seems extremely excessive. We do not want to cause even more hurt and add even more insult to injury to people who have already suffered so horrifically. We will have more discussion on Committee Stage. I welcome that but we need to look seriously at this to see if there is some way that we can avoid leaving it for a full 75 years.

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