Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Is it possible to bring forward the debate on the report on the Magdalen laundries? The timing of its release has not been helpful. It was released after a Cabinet meeting that the Attorney General attended. It was quite evident that the latter put constraints on the Taoiseach. The victims, the survivors, must have been absolutely stunned by the tone of the Taoiseach's comments in the Dáil. We know he is a compassionate man, as has been said, but it might have been better if the Government had considered the 1,000 page document and then entered debate straightaway. Further injury is being inflicted on the survivors. To realise this, we have only to recall some of yesterday's television programmes, in which one could see what I describe in the faces of some of the survivors. They would have received a briefing in advance and been expecting a full response from the Government, but it did not come. Consequently, they were absolutely shattered by what they were hearing and seeing. It is a very complex issue. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, put his finger on it this morning on radio when he said this was not the stuff of films but the stuff of individuals suffering, not only the survivors but also the families of people who had already died, including former inmates of the Magdalen laundries. We are talking about an apology which I still believe could be forthcoming today. The legalese is not necessary; that can follow subsequently when talking about recompense for the affected individuals who suffered so much.

In the hiatus in the next two weeks all kinds of emotional elements will come to the fore. Yet again, the victims and sufferers will be the survivors, which nobody genuinely wants. Incidentally, we owe a debt of gratitude to the Government, as it brought forward the report which it produced after a very short time in office and deserves credit for having done so. If we do nothing in the next 24 or 48 hours, we will do further damage. I refer not only to the 100-plus individuals who came forward but to the hundreds who have not come forward at all, as is their entitlement. They are suffering privately and, to all intents and purposes, have tried to black out a portion of their innocent lives. If we want to give due recognition to the wonderful work done by former Senator Martin McAleese and his team, we should not do so in two weeks but immediately.