Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is fair to say that over the past three decades, there have been very extensive inquiries into sexual abuse in this country in almost all settings and it continues. We have to evaluate that experience as well. There have been very extensive inquiries. There has been horrific abuse, which has visited trauma on thousands of people in different settings, including in healthcare settings, institutions, church environments and indeed education. It was across the board. It is a real stain on Irish society. I am meeting the group and I pay tribute to it for its work and advocacy. I will engage with it. I am not making any commitments in advance of meeting it. I will work to determine the best method of getting to the truth in a timely manner. I am also conscious that on previous occasions, people might not have been entirely satisfied with the outcomes of other types of inquiries that took place.

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