Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

A second perusal would seem necessary. I compliment John Travers on this report. One thing that comes through very forcefully is that for the past 29 years, a situation obtained in long-stay institutions that clearly was not legitimate. That has been borne out in this report. It took 29 years and this Minister for Health and Children and Government to put it on a solid footing. I accept that the Bill we put through before Christmas was found to be unconstitutional in a certain respect. One thing that is useful about the Supreme Court's decision is that we now have clarity on the matter; we can proceed with a sound degree of safety and put matters on a legislative footing. Even though it has taken 29 years, it is never too late to do the right thing.

The mature approach to this issue is to accept that under successive Governments and successive administrations in the Department of Health and Children, things that should have happened did not happen. There is no point in saying black and meaning white.

When I spoke earlier on the Bill, and I am on public record on this, I said people would come out of the woodwork. I heard a prize example last night. A woman entered a long-stay institution and asked to visit her favourite aunt. The reason for the visit is, I am sure, apparent to all. The staff had no recollection of the woman in question ever visiting her aunt. She was too late as her aunt had died ten years previously. I rest my case.