Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The point is that we have to look at this in a comprehensive way. The Deputy should put aside his political points and look to the goodness and the honour of this society which , at the end of the day, will expose all the wrongdoing, evil and the heart of darkness in the church and other institutions which destroyed those people, body and soul. We want the truth to come out and I suggest to the Minister that that is what we need to do.

The Attorney General has to give legal advice and so on but we can all solve this issue. If the Minister has been advised that 30 October is the deadline, which is irrevocable in terms of the data if the commission does not request an extension, the House has to recognise that. We have to find a way that will satisfy all Members of the House that we can resolve the issue after that date. I believe that is at the heart of this. I will not vote for something that involves hiding records for 30 years, as we have been challenged on here. We are not trying to hide something. We do not want to hide the truth. We want the report published. I want it published. Deputy Gannon wants it published. Let us come to the truth, and the truth will out. The Minister would have my support for that initiative and it must not fail because it is far too important for the families involved.

Ireland has changed but it has not changed enough. The lawyers and others will give us the best advice they can but in our hearts and our souls Members on all sides of the House want the report to be published and the data protected and saved now. If that is the Minister’s advice I am prepared to accept that and vote for it. I will talk to the Minister further about that but he needs to make sure that all other parties in this House will buy into a form of words or amendments that meet everybody’s needs.

The most important people are the survivors. If it is the case that they have not been consulted the Minister must consult with their representative bodies, organisations and associations immediately. Above all, they are entitled to closure. They may never get full closure because their lives have been destroyed but we must stand on their side. We must err on their side, if that is a legal argument. We must give them what they need but we must do it all together.

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