Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The nursing home charges scandal is the latest in a long line of aggressive legal strategies employed by the State to deny justice to vulnerable people. It must now be added to a list that includes the CervicalCheck women, the hepatitis C women, the denial of disability payments for those in long-term care, the denial of redress to a large cohort of mother and baby homes survivors, and many others. The Attorney General’s report defends a policy that was cold, callous and calculated.

I see the leader the Labour Party is calling for a redress scheme. I support that call, but is it not unfortunate that the Labour Party did not support such a call when it held the position of Minister for Health, under Deputy Howlin, and instead implemented the no-payment policy against the vulnerable people? Why would the Taoiseach be opposed to redress?

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