Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom mo chuid ama a roinnt leis na Teachtaí Martin Kenny agus Paul Donnelly.

Unfortunately, while the entire nation was shocked and disgusted by the revelations of recent weeks, it was perhaps not surprised, given that they followed the pattern of revelations about many similarly run institutions - horrific abuse, a failure to address that abuse, the ignoring of complaints, the moving of perpetrators and the failure to account properly for the wrongdoing that happened in the schools run by the Spiritan organisation, which is probably more commonly known by its former name, the Holy Ghost Fathers, in Blackrock, St. Michael's, Willow Park, Rockwell and Templeogue.

Like the Ministers, I wish to pay tribute to the incredible courage of the men who have come forward. I will name just a few who have spoken out - Mr. John Coulter, Mr. Corry McMahon, Mr. Louis Hoffman and Mr. Philip Feddis - but there are others. Given what has transpired since, it is clear that their courage has led to others who had never spoken to anyone about what happened to them coming forward. That is welcome.

It is vital that the Garda be at the heart of any response. It has been said correctly that many of the perpetrators are no longer with us, but there are some who may still be with us. There are also people in positions of responsibility who, if still alive, need to be held to account.

The price that the young boys paid was enormous. It was a price for which they were not responsible and about which they could do nothing. They were abused in the most horrific, violent and disgusting way. That trauma spilled into the rest of their lives and relationships, including addictions and thoughts of suicide and self-harm. The monsters who inflicted this abuse on them derailed the lives of some. I pay tribute to the extraordinary courage they have displayed.

In how the State addresses this situation, it is important that we listen to their needs and to what they want. It is clear that the State needs to address it. It is long established that the State has a moral responsibility, but it has now been established through the Louise O'Keefe case relating to a national school in west Cork that the State had a legal responsibility to ensure that abuse, including sexual abuse, did not happen in institutions. As such, there needs to be a response from the State. An inquiry is required and what the survivors want needs to be listened to carefully. Given the week that is in it, it is appropriate that we acknowledge that the Scally inquiry provides a good model of flexibility, cost effectiveness and, most importantly, reaching clear conclusions within a reasonable time. The Scally inquiry achieved results for, and generally provided a degree of satisfaction to, survivors. Ultimately, the wishes of the survivors need to be listened to carefully.

It is well for us to speak about this situation and to express our shock and horror, but it is important that there be follow-up. In some comparable situations, the follow-up has not been great. I am thinking of the survivors of institutional abuse in particular. It is some time since that survivors' group was established with the Department. Yes, Covid happened in the middle of the process, but the survivors are still waiting to find out what the situation is with the medical cards and so on that they were supposed to be awarded. Will the Minister, Deputy Foley, look into this matter?

The State's response cannot stop at us just expressing our horror and disgust.

I acknowledge the very fulsome statements in that regard from the Ministers. There needs to be a full follow-up. It needs to be followed right to its conclusion to ensure that people get truth, justice, ongoing support and whatever else we as a society believe they are entitled to, because that is crucial.

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