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

I was not sure but I thought that was the case and wanted to check. It is important, therefore, that I put on record what I would do if there were to be a vote. Sometimes even some of us in the House still get confused by the procedure, and certainly, for people outside the House who have been following the debate, the procedure may be even more confusing. I put on record, therefore, that if there were to be a vote on the overall Bill, we would oppose it for the reasons we set out previously.

In the previous Dáil, there were a number of debates on this issue, some of which have continued into this Dáil. That is over the course of the seven years I have been a Deputy, which is obviously a short period compared with what some people have been living through. I thank the thousands of survivors I have come across, both in Ireland and throughout the world, for their courage and bravery in sharing their stories. I have always been struck by how, every time we speak about this, somebody new comes forward to tell their story. I always feel that is such a personal and difficult step to take, and I want those people to know that was not taken for granted, at least by me and other Deputies on the Opposition benches. Their contributions behind the scenes have been invaluable and their fight to be heard was dignified and honourable. I assure them I heard them and listened to them and, from the bottom of my heart, I thank them for all the work they have done and, I am sure, will continue to do. I fully agree with what Deputy Sherlock or Deputy Connolly said about this scheme going to the courts. I would imagine it will be tested there and the fight will continue. Again, if there were to be a vote on the Bill as a whole, we would oppose it.

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