Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

Like other speakers, I, too, welcome Ms Justice Laffoy's report and am glad to have an opportunity to contribute to the debate. Regardless of the House of which one is a Member, the report opened our eyes and our minds to the terrible tragedy that was Baltimore, on which we are all in agreement. It made me reminisce about the time I watched the film of Dickens's Oliver Twist. The report brought us all back to late Victorian times. That is all I could think of when I read it.

The report also brought us back to today, so to speak, and how wonderful we all are — I am choosing my words carefully — in that we can almost stand up and say that we, with the knowledge we have today, have a right to judge what went on up to 50 years ago.

It is such a different society and a vastly different world. We have only to look at how we deal with our own children to know the different society we live in today. I do not often read Kevin Myers, and he will not like to hear that, but I was interested to read his article in The Irish Times today, where he talks about 20 years ago when he, as a younger journalist, wrote about an abuse case. When he had finished writing the article — I suppose this happens always — he handed it to the editor and it was edited for him. All references to the abuser — a religious institution — were omitted from the article when it was printed. When Kevin Myers asked why, he got a sad shake of the head and it was implied that he was out of touch with political reality.

Twenty years is not a long time ago. I had a child 20 years ago and it only seems like the other day that child was born. Nobody then had the full picture. Everybody had a tiny part of the picture and none of us chose to put the big picture together. I agree with other speakers that we were right as a nation, through our Taoiseach, to apologise. I say to the Opposition that we had the guts to do it and to recognise what happened. Previous Governments, whether Fianna Fáil, Fianna Fáil led or rainbow coalition Governments, did not take it up. We took it up and apologised, not on behalf of the Government, or Fianna Fáil or the Progressive Democrats, but on behalf of the State. We are all culpable and we all had a part to play in it.

Those opposite say responsibility should be taken from the Department of Education and Science and moved to the Department of the Taoiseach. Does Senator Browne, who has just said that, want to victimise and further disrupt the lives of people who are already victims, as he has outlined? It would further delay matters to take it from the Department of Education and Science, where it has known a home and has been progressed, given the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, said on "This Week" on RTE last Sunday that he was on a learning curve. The only people who would be marginalised by that would be the victims. When the Opposition comes up with an idea such as that, I wonder whether it is thought out. It is said that we are making a political football of the investigation into abuse. I am sure those victims, if they were here today, would want to scream that at us. It is cheap of the Opposition to come in and try to make political gain on it.

It has been pointed out also that abuse is still occurring today. There are more types of abuses, physical and sexual, happening in places other than institutions. As we all know it can happen anywhere, even in a child's home. Yesterday much air time was taken up with a tragedy that happened in my own neck of the woods in the north west where a family and young children were the victims of savage abuse at the hands of a member of that particular family. It was raised on the Order of Business this morning. Let us learn from the mistakes. Let us look at the good recommendations that are now put in place and let us progress them. Let us all, as public representatives, ensure those recommendations are implemented and put in place for the protection of children in society.

I am glad I spoke here before Christmas when we appointed Ms Emily Logan as the ombudsman for children. Ms Logan will have a huge role to play in the protection of children, in ensuring children's rights are adhered to and that there is protection for them whether in institutions, in the home, in schools, in clubs or wherever they are. It is right to bear in mind also that it is not only children who suffer abuse as adults can also suffer abuse.

In welcoming Ms Justice Laffoy's report I congratulate her on the work she has done to date. It is invaluable and will stand the test of time in getting through all of this. I avail of this opportunity to wish Mr. Seán Ryan well in his role. It will not be easy, but I know Mr. Ryan and I have worked with him on other fora. He is a capable man and I am sure there will be a satisfactory outcome for all involved.