Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Taoiseach's outlining of the action plan for mother and baby home survivors. We on the Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth have been working through a number of issues in this area, including improving the information and tracing legislation to deal with many of the concerns and issues of survivors of mother and baby homes and those who were adopted. I welcome the announcement of the new national centre on Seán McDermott Street. I also welcome the Taoiseach's provision of more detail in this regard, including that the National Museum of Ireland and the National Archives of Ireland will have a strong role in it, which is very important for survivors.

Will he consider an apology on behalf of the State to another group that has long awaited such an apology or acknowledgement? I refer to the thalidomide survivors of Ireland. Last 26 November was the 60th anniversary of the international withdrawal of thalidomide, but this State has failed to offer any acknowledgement of the circumstances in which the drug was not withdrawn in Ireland at that point and continued to be prescribed after that date, with consequent harm caused to children. Having met with many members of the Irish Thalidomide Association, I am conscious of how anxious they are that their parents, many of whom are now very elderly, would receive a formal acknowledgement from the State as a matter of urgency. I have sought support from colleagues of all parties and Independent groupings for a cross-party motion expressing our co-ordinated and collegiate response as a parliamentary House to the concerns of thalidomide survivors. I have heard from Irish Thalidomide Association members on the need to support resumption of mediation between the association and health authorities to address their real and ongoing healthcare needs and ensure all outstanding issues can be resolved.

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