Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Social Democrats on tabling the motion. I will begin by speaking about one survivor who gave her testimony to the commission of investigation. She is one of the survivors who did not recognise her testimony in the written report, she is also one of those whose testimony was said to have been deleted and she is among those who strongly dispute the commission's claim that she was told her testimony would be destroyed. Injustice was visited upon this woman even before she was sent to one of these institutions. I regret to say she continues to be failed to this very day. This lady said that when she read her so-called testimony in the written report, it bore little similarity to what she told the commission. The survivors went to great lengths to put on record their experiences so that the truth that had been purposely hidden could be brought to light. The Minister can understand why, after seeing her testimony so misrepresented, she cannot bring herself to read any more of the report. She states that it has set her back, which is the opposite of what the report was supposed to do. At the time, this lady had the recording of her interview to fall back on if she wanted to correct the record.

The next outrageous chapter in this period of our history begins with the deletion of records with no prior notice to survivors. This has led the woman to whom I refer and many other survivors to believe that they could no longer correct the record. How is this justice? Then we heard that backup files had been found but might not be saved. Last night, the story changed again with news that the recordings had been retrieved. While this is welcome, it does not do away with the need to extend the term of the commission. We need answers to these fundamental questions. Why were the survivors' testimonies changed in the report and who ordered those changes? Who ordered the original recordings to be deleted and why? Now that the recordings have been retrieved, the survivors must be given access to them and the opportunity to correct the written report. How can they expect to correct the report if the commission no longer exists? How can we possibly allow the commission to misrepresent the testimonies of survivors, attempt to delete any way of correcting the record and then be dissolved without being asked to defend these actions?

The survivors have been strung along and misled ever since the report was published. This must stop now. The commission must not be dissolved before all of these issues are investigated by the DPC and other relevant authorities. I ask the Minister not to step back any further from his commitment. I urge the Government to support the survivors by supporting the motion.

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