Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Since the recent furore surrounding legislation relating to mother and baby homes and the issues regarding attempts to seal information relating to survivors, I have been inundated with contacts from survivors who are particularly concerned about the issue of industrial schools. One thing that I did not know was that the data in the archive for the industrial schools was outsourced and is in the possession of an American company. The survivors I talked to expressed great concern about that fact and went on to say that they have been given indications that it is the intention of the Government, as a priority, to reverse the legislation that set up the statutory education fund which was to provide support to survivors of industrial schools. They say that the Government is prioritising this and is essentially washing its hands of its obligations to survivors of industrial schools. They said that while there is much talk about data protection, promises that were made by former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, back in 1999 to deliver housing support, mental health and health supports, counselling and so on have not been kept.

Many of those survivors are living in deprivation and poverty, without decent housing and without the counselling and support they were promised. I would like the Taoiseach to respond on this issue.

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