Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I offer my sympathy to those brave survivors and victims of clerical abuse in the Cloyne diocese who opened a window on what happened there. I commend the team which prepared the Cloyne report which makes for compelling reading and provides succinct findings as to what happened in the diocese.

Along with previous reports, some common themes emerge around the denial of abuse by Catholic church authorities such as their primary concern often being to protect abusers rather than to protect children. There was also a lack of concern about children who were at risk of abuse.

Two particular features mark out the Cloyne report. First is the very recent nature of the allegations made. Complaints and allegations against clerics were made between January 1996 and February 2009. There can be no excuses for the covering up of child sexual abuse at any time. The fact that cover-ups and failures to act were continuing to occur until 2009 is a particularly disturbing feature of this report.

The second feature is the response of the Vatican to the church's own framework document for dealing with child sexual abuse. As the report stated, it undermined the status of those procedures and gave support to those high up in the Cloyne diocese who did not support the policies and failed to take action to protect children at risk of abuse. I agree with the Leader of the House that it is appropriate this motion deplores the Vatican's intervention which undermined the guidelines of the Irish bishops and the State's. I am glad the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has taken up this matter.

Those who proposed an amendment to this motion should withdraw it. All of us should deplore the intervention of the Vatican. This motion, which the Labour Party is proud to support, also deals with failures by the State. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs gave a sincere apology for these. The Government is committed to taking steps to ensure child protection. I welcome today's publication of the heads of the national vetting Bill which will contribute to the effective protection of children.