Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputies. A number of points were raised. The criteria that were agreed previously for the redress board focused on the abuse that was suffered within the institutions as opposed to those who were in the institutions. Deputies might say that, irrespective of this, someone was in an institution and suffered abuse, and I do not dispute that. However, what we have here has the same parameters and is what had been agreed, that is, it referred to those who received redress in the previous scheme. That is what we are acknowledging here. As I said at the outset, I appreciate that the minute we put parameters around any type of redress scheme, there will be somebody outside of it. However, if it is an open-ended scheme, not just for this but for any other type of scheme, it is an even greater challenge to ensure it gets to those who need it most.

I do not for a second disregard what the Deputies have said, in particular Deputy Connolly, for whom, as she said, this is very personal. What happened to so many people across so many different institutions in so many different ways was and is a blight on our history, and it is nothing that we will ever be able to change, just as we cannot change what happened to so many others.

I have listened to what was said. In terms of housing in particular, it is very important that we work with the local authorities. As far as I am concerned, given my engagement with them, they take into consideration the individual circumstances of individuals, so it is not just somebody who might be part of this scheme but somebody who might be part of another scheme or might have had abuse in the past, be it through Magdalen, the mother and baby homes or any other type of abuse. They take into consideration the personal circumstances of the individual insofar as possible. Our overall objective is to make sure that nobody is left without a home and nobody is put in that position. I do not think that is going to change following our discussion here today. Local authorities are very mindful of the individual circumstances people find themselves in.

What we have tried to do, and what my predecessor did is reflected here also, is to take on board everything that has been said by victims, by survivors and by the rapporteur. I appreciate it does not go to the same lengths as some of the individual proposals, whether in regard to the medical card, the threshold or the individual figure that has been provided either to those abroad or regarding support from an educational perspective. However, it is reflective of the individual asks, whether on health, education or other areas. I acknowledge and appreciate it is not to the level or extent that some of the survivors had hoped or asked for.

As I said at the outset, it is important that we pass the legislation to ensure survivors can access this and support it. I agree with Deputy Connolly. I am not saying that what happened in the past and the schemes that were put in place worked well or effectively, or that they were not overly complex for people to apply for. We need to learn from what we are doing and try to improve every step of the way. I am not saying everything here is perfect but I certainly think we have learned over time and we are better at engaging. I accept that is not going to change what has happened. Ultimately, it is not going to erase what is, as I said, a blight on much of our history over the past 100 years or so.

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