Brendan Ryan (Labour)

The behaviour of the legal people, operating on behalf of the Minister for Education for Education and Science, towards victims of what can at best be called State neglect — people who were sexually abused in primary schools — is nothing short of disgraceful. The Members opposite were probably among the most vocal in the country when a previous Minister for Health was blamed for similar letters. I would like to hear them rediscovering their voices now. When they do so, they might ask the Minister why she stated that she has no legal responsibility towards these people when we know the Government had no legal responsibility towards the religious whom it bailed out to the tune of €1 billion when they were being sued. Maybe that was the correct decision, although I do not want to go down that road. It is clear, however, that the State had no legal obligation to do it. Are we to take it from the Government that the religious orders are more important than sexually abused children in primary schools?