Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)

Ireland has been scarred by decades of institutional abuse. Due to the clergy, industrial schools, mother and baby homes and Magdalen laundries, nearly every family in Ireland has felt some trace of pain. It is not lost on me that we are discussing this topic when excavation work is starting on the mother and baby home in Tuam. Survivors have been denied justice for far too long. I welcome the announcement by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, that the Government is to establish a statutory commission of investigation into historical sexual abuse in schools. However, I do not believe that survivors should need to wait five years for the outcomes of the process. This move is long overdue. It only came about thanks to the bravery of survivors, advocates, the findings of the scoping inquiry and the tireless work of campaigners who fought for truth and justice for so many years. This commission is a vital step forward, a chance to uncover truth, accountability and justice and to shine light on the dark and painful reality of the abuse that occurred in our schools. We need to look at why allegations and concerns were ignored and concealed over so many decades in hundreds of schools, most of them run by religious orders.

We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the survivors and to every person who has come forward to share their trauma. I would like to acknowledge the enormous work done by One In Four, which worked persistently to help survivors to break the silence surrounding childhood sexual abuse. Its courage helped to expose one of the most shameful chapters in our education system. This process must be about making sure these voices are heard. For survivors who have never spoken about the horrors they experienced, I urge them to come forward to take part in this investigation. They will be supported every step of the way.

While this commission is hugely welcome, it must not stand alone. Survivors have been clear. This cannot just be symbolic. We must include real accountability from religious orders' school bodies responsible. That needs financial contributions too because burdens of redress should not fall on the taxpayer alone. The Labour Party is again calling on the Government to establish a redress scheme in parallel with the commission. Survivors should not be forced to wait years for justice. That redress scheme must be fully resourced, transparent and led by survivors. It is also essential that religious orders, many of which are directly responsible for the schools involved, pay their fair share. They must not be allowed to hide behind legal loopholes, trusts or technicalities to avoid their obligations. The Labour Party brought forward its Bill in order to remove the very obstacles that have for so long stood in the way of redress.

I take this opportunity to highlight the critical and central legislation brought forward by my colleague Deputy Ivana Bacik on behalf of the Labour Party. Deputy Bacik worked tirelessly on the civil liability (child sexual abuse proceedings against unincorporated bodies of persons) Bill, which is designed to remove the legal barriers that have prevented many survivors of institutional abuse from taking civil actions against religious orders responsible. For too long, these institutions, many of them unincorporated bodies, have evaded accountability by hiding behind complex legal structures and transferring assets into lay-run trusts. Survivors have faced enormous obstacles when seeking justice. This legislation, brought forward by the Labour Party, would change that. It would also allow survivors to bring civil claims directly against unincorporated bodies such as religious orders. Crucially, it gives courts powers to access the assets held in associated trusts, even where these trusts were set up to shield an institution from liability. It is a simple principle: if you are responsible, you must be accountable.

Survivors must not be met with silence or legal gymnastics. They deserve a fair pathway to justice. This Bill is about making sure no institution can hide from responsibility any longer. We call on the Government to support the Bill and act now to deliver real justice for survivors. The Labour Party's Bill would create a clear and immediate pathway to justice and we call on the Government to support it without delay.

This moment calls for more than words; it calls for firm action. Now is the time to stand with those survivors to ensure they are heard and make sure that those responsible are finally held to account. Survivors have waited long enough.

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