Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)

Four survivors of residential abuse remain on hunger strike outside these buildings. Miriam Moriarty Owens, Mary Donavan, Mary Dunlevy Greene and Maurice Patton O'Connell are now on day 47 of their hunger strike. Their health continues to deteriorate. This is a very serious situation. It is dire. They are absolutely determined and, after a meeting yesterday, cautiously hopeful but they have nothing in writing to say the Government will agree to their very reasonable demands for access to a HAA medical card and a State contributory pension. In fact, what they have had from Government so far is the exact opposite. In the first instance, the Government voted against proposals from Sinn Féin and Catherine Connolly to grant all survivors access to these things. In early October, the Minister for education wrote to say there was no change to that position. Does the Tánaiste recognise the urgent need to resolve this matter? Will he bring this hunger strike to an end? Will he do the right thing by these survivors? Will he give them a written commitment to meet their demands today?

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