Brian Hayes (Fine Gael)

Will time be provided next week for the Minister for Education and Science to attend the House to make a statement and take questions on the controversy surrounding legal letters sent to victims of sex abuse who came through the national school system over many years? The Acting Leader will be aware of a "Prime Time" programme on this subject last week. It is worrying that needless anxiety is being caused to hundreds of sex abuse victims who seem to be put to one side simply because they attended national school.

I am the first to admit that the rainbow Government made mistakes in the McCole case, but at least a compensation mechanism was put in place for victims in that situation. The Government should realise that public administration and politicians often make mistakes but we need to learn the lessons of that mistake. The manner in which the Department is dealing with this matter is suspect.

An opportunity should be afforded to the Minister for Education and Science to attend the House because the Seanad has a role to ensure the Government can rethink its position and not repeat past mistakes. Colleagues on both sides of the House have raised this matter over the past week. I request that debate to ensure we do not make the same mistakes again concerning people who have been traumatised by the most grotesque sexual abuse, including rape allegations. Just because they went through the national school system, they seem to have been put to one side, and that is unacceptable. Can time be provided next week for that debate?

There is much in the Criminal Justice Bill which I and my party colleagues would support, but we need to have a significant period of reflection between Second Stage and Committee Stage. I am not sure whether the Bill is coming to the House next week, but if it is, will the Acting Leader give a guarantee that Committee Stage will not be taken until after the Easter recess? This would give us more time to consider the legislation which deals with basic issues such as the criminal justice system and fundamental rights. We need to get it right and ensure the balance is firmly in place in the legislation as it goes through both Houses of the Oireachtas.