Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Chair can take a minute of my time if he needs to make up the time. Deputy Connolly is passionate and honest about this matter. I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute on this most important matter.

I am also pleased because it affords me the opportunity to put on record my admiration and that of the entire Rural Independent Group for the heroic bravery and courage of Louise O'Keeffe. It was only fit and proper that the Taoiseach apologised on behalf of the State to victims of sexual abuse in day schools, anseo inné. As we know, we are here today following a finding that the State misinterpreted a European Court ruling on the survivors of sexual abuse in schools and the requirements they must meet to avail of redress.

As I understand it, the Government's position was that the decision of the ECHR applies only to people who were abused after an initial complaint was made against a teacher and no action was taken. In the context, misinterpretation is probably too soft a word. I do not blame the Minister, Deputy McHugh, personally but his contribution did not give me any solace. I was unable to be present for it but I listened to it in my office.

According to Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill, it was inherently illogical of the State to demand evidence when there was no State-controlled mechanism for detecting and reporting incidents of child sexual abuse in national schools. We all know that. Mr. Justice O'Neill went on to say that for the State to insist on such a precondition to eligibility involved an inherent inversion of logic and a fundamental unfairness to applicants. It is totally inherent and unfair and beggars belief that the State would be so cumbersome and inept to think that we would accept this. I salute Mr. Justice O'Neill and thank him for the hard work and honesty in this report. We have had many reports, tribunals and God knows what and they are all waffle, but this is clear concise and direct. The response of the Minister for Education and Skills is feeble - I am being kind to the Minister. Mr. Justice O'Neill went on to say that for the State to insist on such a precondition to eligibility involved an inherent inversion of logic and a fundamental unfairness to applicants.

I listened with admiration to what Louise O'Keeffe said yesterday in response to the findings of Mr. Justice O'Neill. She said there was now an "absolute onus on the State to review all cases, both pending and discontinued". She went on to say that all of those cases must be reviewed and the State "must own up to the responsibility that was theirs and is theirs to get this right". It is beyond time to get this right. The families and abused persons deserve this at best. Louise O'Keeffe went on to say:

For the past five and a half years [the State] have fought every other victim and they have used a prior complaint as the big issue and they were wrong. They simply must come out, they must sort out, they must own up to responsibility.

I hope that process of taking responsibility is now in train. Yet, from the comments or remarks of the Minister, I wonder if that is so. This is due almost entirely to the courage and perseverance of Louise O'Keeffe. It has nothing to do with the willingness of the State to prevent further trauma to people like Louise and the many other victims of abuse. We salute their courage and bravery.

From looking at the emptiness of the benches this morning, shortly before Leaders' Questions, I do not get a sense of the Government giving this the mark of importance that it should have - I am not saying this to the Minister personally. Where are all the others in the Government? The Taoiseach will be on his way in. I fully expected the Taoiseach would come to the Chamber yesterday and apologise for the grievous hurt and damage he caused the Catholic Church, Catholic priests and the Catholic faith last week. I expected that he would apologise in the House, where he made those remarks, but he did not. It is very sad and unfair on the 99.9% of hard-working decent Catholic clergy at home and abroad who have done so much good for the Taoiseach to tarnish them in the way he did in comments to Deputy Micheál Martin. I would expect - I still expect - that the Taoiseach will come to the House and be man enough and humble enough to apologise. I know he apologised outside in the media and to others at a meeting, but it is totally unacceptable and unworthy of his position.

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