Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank everybody who has contributed to the debate for their supportive words. I was struck by the fact that everyone, with the exception of the two Ministers who spoke, really seemed to understand this is a first step. This is what we have said from the minute we launched the Bill a number of weeks ago. It will not solve all of the problems but, as my colleague, Deputy McDonald, has just said, we have to start somewhere and every process has to start somewhere. This is a really good start for people who have been failed time and again by the State, beginning with incarceration in one of these institutions, after which the subsequent list of the failings is endless, particularly most recently with the report, which was a total disgrace. It did absolutely no justice to survivors. People are constantly being failed and are being made promises.

We are led to believe by the Government that it will not oppose the Bill because it is well intentioned but it has much better all-singing all-dancing legislation that will come forward very soon. This is great and welcome. Everybody wants to see that legislation and to have wider access to medical files and adoption files but this Bill is here now, ready to go and it is a first step. What we really need is not just to pass Second Stage today, which obviously we do want to see happen and we want to see the Bill supported, but we also want to see action on it. Then we will have the other legislation, which we will welcome and on which we will work with the Minister and anybody else bringing forward proposals on this issue because it is about doing the right thing. It is about taking action. We have to match all of the sympathetic words we have heard recently and match with action all of the apologies that people have heard. Today is an opportunity to do this and demonstrate to people that everybody in the House is serious about finally listening to people and doing the right thing. There is no difficulty with having it supported further down the line in a number of weeks, or whenever the Government's legislation is ready. Obviously we will have to wait to see it but we will openly welcome anything that gives people access to their information.

This is a first step. In 2021, to say there is a cohort of people in Irish society who do not have access to their birth certificate is a disgrace. We have the opportunity today to ensure that does not happen anymore.

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