Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)

A couple of days ago, I got a phone call from a guy I knew. He saw the Minister talk about the commission of investigation. His voice was very low when I was talking to him. A member of his family was in the house and he did not want them to hear what he was talking to me about because of the shame and stigma that are still there. He did nothing wrong; he is a victim and a survivor. People want justice and for their voices to be heard. Why has this taken so long? This man said he is not looking for anything; he wants his voice and his story to be heard. He is looking for justice. He is an exceptionally brave person, like everyone else who has been a victim of this abuse.

The new commission of investigation will be a relief to many but it will also bring back the trauma of what they went through. I spoke to a mother and baby home survivor who said that every time she walks into a shop and sees the newspaper headlines or turns on the news, she is retraumatised and it brings it all back. There can be no more delays. This has to be moved on. I think everyone is of one mind that this work is really important and needs to be done. It should be borne in mind how difficult it will be for the survivors. They cannot be left waiting for answers. A lady contacted me last year who also falls under this commission of investigation. She said she was a damaged person. She has worked hard and done very well but she still suffers greatly. She deserves justice. Justice delayed is justice denied. Unfortunately, we have seen the cruelty of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the mother and baby home redress schemes. I hope this Government has learned from that and the mistakes of the past will not be made again. I was at an event last year where I met a fella I went to school with. There was a Christian Brother convicted of abuse and he pleaded guilty - Brother Brian in the North Monastery. I was in the same year as this lad who was abused by this Christian Brother who went to jail. He is lucky he has a great wife and a great family. He and all these victims need support. Some of them have had to do it alone and that is not right.

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