David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are all aware of the extraordinary role, although sometimes played in a quiet way, of former Senator McAleese and his wife, the former President, Mary McAleese. The greatest tribute we can pay him is a practical one, which is to discuss the report on the Magdalen laundries, which coincidentally is being released to the survivor groups as we speak, as soon as is practicable, taking into account the fact that it is important that we read the report carefully and deal with it appropriately. However, a few comments can be made in advance of the report's publication. First, the issue has been dealt with in dribs and drabs. We had to force the situation open. I pay great tribute to Professor Jim Smith, an academic in Boston, who was instrumental in this.

Initially, the Government was not keen on taking this on, and it still has not taken on Stanhope Street, nor the Bethany Home, a Protestant institution. Why are we dealing with this in dribs and drabs? Why can we not come clean once and for all? Why can we not clean out this Augean stable and admit that this country was shamed by being brought before the United Nations Committee against Torture? Why can we not admit that what we had in this country was slave labour? These people were forced to work. If they managed to escape, the instruments of the State, the courts and the police brought them back. This was quite illegal as many of them had committed no crime at all. Some of them were just social casualties and some had been pregnant outside of marriage, which is not and should not be a crime. Many of them were not even in that category. However, they were all lumped together. No social welfare was paid for them, a criminal offence. The nuns acted illegally in not paying social welfare. The women received no remuneration and at the end of the month got a voucher that could get them a bar of soap. I find this absolutely shocking. These women are owed an apology and owed multiples of the wages they earned. I knew nothing about it at all. People say we are guilty, but I did not know it was going on. I never had as much as a handkerchief washed by them. I knew it had happened historically, but I did not realise it was going on until comparatively recently.

The second issue I wish to raise is also a matter of reproach to the political system, namely the use of ministerial powers to advance hospital building programmes selectively in order to favour political cronies. This has been going on and what concerns me is the kind of response we got on Raidió Teilifís Éireann at the weekend when a commentator said that was why we elected them, that was what we were paying them for and the people of Wexford and Kilkenny would be delighted. I have no doubt they will; that is very human. However, we are not charged with dealing preferentially with our political allies. There should be criteria. The people who need these services the most should get them. I am aware, for example, that Members on the Government side in the Lower House are being given selective advance information about such developments. This is wrong and corrupt. We have a Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and I would like to ask him where is the reform in this. They should all bear in mind that when it involves public expenditure, it is not their money. It is the money of the Irish taxpayers and we are entitled to call them to account for it.

I thought it an extraordinarily brazen performance on the part of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Phil Hogan, when he said he would make no apology for such lobbying and would continue to do it. He introduced the name of the late Susie Long, a woman who died because of poverty and because the medical services did not reach out to her.