Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to pay tribute to the survivors from the County Clare Nursery, Kilrush, and thank and acknowledge Ms Rita McCarthy in west Clare for all of her work and research that brought that little piece of history to life for us in west Clare.

It is extremely disappointing that the Government has continued with this legislation for survivors, which allows for any survivors to be excluded. I cannot overstate how cold and heartless that approach is. That hurt can never be undone. It is a theme of the Government in this Dáil term. We know there are issues around listening to survivors, those who know best.

We have seen the same, almost arrogance, displayed when it came to the Women of Honour and the debacle that unfolded there, and that was only when drafting the terms of reference. Then there was all the confusion about whether or not the inquiry would be public or whether it would include all victims again. It transpired that it seemed it would be a representative group of the victims. The Tánaiste at the time mentioned that he was cognisant of not putting too much time into this with so many years having gone by and the victims not receiving the supports they needed. There was also the issue of money being spent in that way too. If the was money was spent right in the first place and if the scheme was person-centred and based and grounded in human rights, that ultimately would mean the inclusion of all who were impacted and affected and for their inclusion to be equal.

Is it not completely hypocritical of the Government to have called on the public to assist it during the Covid pandemic and then to have turned its back on communities that need it now more than ever such as survivors of institutional and residential abuse, never mind the significant delays that they have faced historically and how that has impacted them and triggered all sorts of difficulties? To exclude any survivor is wrong and it is frustrating that no progress has been made in this.

I wanted to ask the Minister if there had been a particular reason so many people were being excluded from this legislation, particularly those who were found to have not applied for the previous redress scheme. Excluding people sends the message that their trauma and hurt does not matter. This is the Government’s attempt to do the right thing and to right some serious wrongs that can never be undone but can go some way to help those who have suffered immense and serious trauma that has had life-long implications for them and their families. In the big picture of the various Bills and all the progress that has been made, they are really just gestures. They are what we can do in this space and time but if we are really about trying to correct the wrongs as best we can, it is a no-brainer: all victims and all those who feel they have been impacted to this day have to be included. The refusal, despite the endless pleas of the survivors excluded from the scheme, is hard to bear. This refusal is despite the survivors of the most horrific abuse having to relive their most traumatic experiences in a desperate attempt to prove that they deserve to be included is also hard to bear.

Having listened to the contributions to the debate yesterday and today, I am actually ashamed. Three years ago the Taoiseach apologised on behalf of the State for the atrocities that took place in mother and baby homes. At the time, the Government seemed to be going in the right direction. Survivors and Members of this House could be forgiven for being optimistic and expecting that a complete and inclusive redress scheme would follow. Instead the Government has chosen to humiliate and retraumatise survivors with this legislation and the previous scheme.

The most upsetting part of this entire debacle is that that in a generation from now, a future Minister will be in the House again discussing a redress scheme for those who find themselves institutionalised in Ireland today. It is said that those who do not know their history are destined to repeat it. Every person on this island is aware of our history of institutionalising people considered inconvenient and undesirable, yet we seem to be continuing in the same way. The programme for Government included a commitment to end direct provision, for example, yet here we are four years later with no end in sight and no long-term plan. One of the first HIQA reports carried out in IPAS accommodation in Knockalisheen, County Clare found that the human rights of residents were not consistently respected, promoted or upheld. I remind the Minister of State that few reports are available on IPAS accommodations. I cannot help wonder if it is the same when it comes to family hubs or emergency accommodation around the country. Let us not forget those aged under 65 with disabilities institutionalised in nursing homes. History is repeating itself and it is happening on the Government’s watch. I hope in the future when the Government has to offer a redress scheme to current victims of institutionalisation that it will not be as shambolic and it will allow for the full inclusion of all victims. It does not have to be this way. I urge the Minister of State to take on board the contributions that were made today and yesterday by all parties and Members’ appeals to include all who need the scheme.

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