Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief. As regards the comments the Ceann Comhairle made, it is very clearly the Government that is not listening or hearing. It would not have to have particularly good hearing to listen to the anger, upset and appeals to change course from survivors. The approach of the Government has been horrendous and heartless and is unfortunately reimposing an abuse upon people. I pay tribute to the incredible survivors for the campaigning that has been going on, which has made this a major political issue and put the Government under significant pressure to make the very small amendments it is making. It is incredibly impressive. These people were subjected to such abuse by the State and a church which were willing to let them be treated in such a way and be the subject of such abuse because they were women or were from poorer backgrounds. That church then colluded in a cover-up by the State to prevent its role in that abuse being exposed. The fact that people are still fighting and speaking out in the way they do is inspiring.

There is something quite Orwellian about a number of aspects of this debate, particularly the double-speak that goes on. Let us take the term "mother and baby home", for example. A home is meant to be a place of safety and warmth. What we are talking about here is something very far from a home. In reality, these homes were much closer to prisons as they were places of extreme abuse in some cases. Another example is the language used by the Government in the briefing notes and so on, which refers to protecting the records. The survivors simply do not accept or agree with that. They are not convinced by that argument because they know this is not about protecting the records. They are not protesting because the records are being protected. This is about sealing the records for 30 years and putting them out of the reach of survivors, who showed great bravery in testifying about the abuse they faced. Many spoke up explicitly asking that their stories be heard, recorded and shared, and now they are being told that they will be swept under the carpet

I support the amendments coming from us and others. In dealing with the particular issue of Tusla, the basic point was made yesterday and should be made again and again today that Tusla is not an appropriate controller for the records. There is no reason the Adoption Authority of Ireland, for example, could not be the controller instead. I am sure the Minister is aware of the issues around legally troubling and discriminatory practices in the access of adopted people to their information.

The Bill ignores the views of the collaborative forum of former residents of mother and baby homes. It is a forum that was specifically established to advise the Government and it has repeatedly stated that Tusla should have no further role in adoption information and tracing, yet the Government has doubled down on that approach and has committed to it despite all the uproar. In the spirit of what the Ceann Comhairle said, I appeal to the Minister to listen, not to us but to the survivors. They are asking to be heard and for changes to be made. I appeal to the Minister to listen to them and make the necessary changes.

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