Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It will be 21 years this September since the first time Louise O'Keeffe made contact with the Department. It has been too long and there have been too many words. There is no solace in words today. There is no solace in words for me unless there is action. I understand that because it is not only about Louise O'Keeffe. People in a similar position have been wronged. They have been let down and have had false dawns. A scheme presented to them in the form of the ex gratiascheme was unworkable. There is no question about what went wrong. There is no justification in my standing up on behalf of the State to say we tried our best but failed. That is what happened. We failed as a State and as a society. I have remarked on people coming forward. There are still people with information. There are congregations and people with information who still need to come forward because we need to step up as a society.

What can I do in my position? I will stand over my words and public utterances yesterday morning on "Morning Ireland". I am determined to get this right. I am determined to get it right through action not words. That is why I met the Attorney General yesterday afternoon on this particular issue. That is why officials from the Department of Education and Skills and the Office of the Attorney General are meeting this week on this issue. It is because we want to get it right. It is the least we can do.

There is one thing I tried to get around or into my head yesterday before coming in here. I was thinking on the survivors but while I was picturing them as adults, I was thinking on them as children. For example, Louise O'Keeffe was a nine year old girl who had to go through what she went through. It was wrong. They have been wronged. It is up to us now collectively to rectify that.

I know from the constructive tone in the House today that we are determined to do this together. Some weeks ago Deputy Quinlivan, asked me to meet the men from Creagh Lane national school. I said then that I would and I am happy to do that. I am happy with the work of Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill and I am disappointed that it took two years. We have all these disappointments but it is what we do next to ensure we get it right that counts.

Deputy O'Dea asked whether we were looking at different elements of it. We are going to look at the entire scheme and examine it in detail with the Attorney General to try not to leave anyone behind. There have been too many hurdles and obstacles.

Sometimes we have to lay out the facts. This was based first on a High Court decision and then on a Supreme Court decision. Louise O'Keeffe had to go through all of that, including the High Court and the Supreme Court. She then had to go to the European Court of Human Rights. For her to go through a second trauma was wrong. That is effectively what it was - a second trauma extended over decades. The Taoiseach apologised yesterday. That apology was based on a conversation we had the previous night on what we can and will do. Words are probably useless today to the survivors. I do not know how my words will fall but that is not what I am interested in. I am interested in rectifying this and in trying to get it right. Yet, I will not get it right on my own. We have to get it right as a collective and as a society. It is the least we can do and I commit to doing that. I committed to doing it yesterday and I will certainly try my best to try to get it right this time, because time is not on people's side and I am conscious of that as well.

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