Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. It is always good to see a Monaghan man in charge.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Farrelly report. So many of us from all parties in the Oireachtas are just appalled by what happened to Grace but also by the failure to deliver the justice and truth she deserves through the report of the Farrelly commission. This is a very lengthy and costly report. It is 2,000 pages long, took eight years to complete and cost €14 million but it fails to deliver answers in relation to the appalling treatment of Grace who was a vulnerable ten year old child when she entered care. There must be answers and accountability.

The facts of this case are hard to believe. The house where Grace was placed was never assessed and never formally recognised as a foster home. Grace was not visited by a social worker for the first six years. There were very serious and credible allegations of abuse, including sexual abuse which the commission has chosen to discount. The commission has failed to address serious questions over why Grace was returned to the foster home after a decision had been made to remove her following accusations of abuse and neglect. We need to know why the commission did not investigate the experiences of the other children and young people who went through the foster home in question. The case is a litmus test of how we treat the most vulnerable in our society, how we protect children and vulnerable adults and we are failing. As the incoming chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I will see to it that this committee has a role in scrutinising the Farrelly report, including the revelation by Marie-Claire Butler, the general solicitor for minors and wards of court, that extensive submissions made on behalf of Grace to the Farrelly commission were not included in the final report. To silence Grace in this way after everything she has been through is nothing short of appalling. The report is a disservice to Grace, to all those who cared for her, to other children and young people in care and to those whistleblowers who spoke out. The Oireachtas must insist, and I make this case very strongly, that Ms Marjorie Farrelly, the author of this report explains the omissions in her findings, including why the submissions of the general solicitor for minors and wards of court, made on behalf of Grace, were not included in the final report. It is the very least that Grace deserves.

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