Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the establishment of a commission of investigation into historical sexual abuse in schools. I am thinking first and foremost of the survivors, some of whom are here in the Public Gallery today, and those who were abused as children in the very places they should have been safe, namely, our schools and our State institutions.

This has been a long time coming. The findings of the commission must acknowledge the harm done to thousands of children across the State. Their voices and their healing must be to the forefront of the investigation. Let us be honest - we have only got here because those brave survivors refused to stay silent. They carried unimaginable pain, so it must be acknowledged that survivors have been waiting a long, long time for this commission.

It must also be noted that those who have been involved in physical abuse have been omitted from this investigation, which is deeply concerning, considering those who endured such harrowing experiences. It was not just corporal punishment. Some of them were, as an Teachta Conway-Walsh noted, tortured. It is imperative that the Minister explain this and reconsider those who have been through physical abuse in these schools and are not being included in this investigation. If we are going to ensure that this investigation truly is centred on those who have experienced abuse, those who have been through physical abuse must be included.

The commission must expose not just the abuse, but the cover-ups. We cannot have a repeat of previous lengthy legal proceedings in which some survivors were totally ignored. An adequate redress scheme is also imperative, one that properly reflects the damage done to families up and down the country. Survivors must be at the heart of every step and their voices and their healing must come first.

See this speech in context