Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to follow up on what my colleagues have said about the Magdalen laundries and the ladies who were incarcerated in these gulags. I have to say our reputation has been sullied once more. Holy Ireland used to be known around the world as a holier-than-thou Catholic country, but it has become totally clear that the human rights of women and children were denied and that sexual abuse took place in many institutions. My former colleagues in the Oireachtas, Tom Kitt and Michael Kennedy, valiantly established an ad hoc Oireachtas committee to seek justice for the Magdalens. They were stonewalled by civil servants who briefed their Ministers and did not want to upset the apple cart. We need an investigation into Departments that stymie development. I had a go at the Secretary General of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation yesterday. These civil servants hold back our country in more ways than one. In years to come, this will be investigated.

I have to say that various Fianna Fáil Ministers failed to follow this issue up because they were afraid of what would happen. They did not have the political guts to speak the truth regardless of the repercussions. I will set out what has to be done. Of course we all want the Taoiseach to give a full apology. These women, many of whom are very old and some of whom are in my age group, do not want to go to their death beds without getting an apology from the State. Those who worked in these laundries as slave labour should be able to die in peace when the time comes. The departmental officials who went to investigate the laundries did not give a damn that the women were not being paid. As they were not paying social welfare, they were not entitled to claim pensions. That needs to be resolved. I want a full State apology to be given and recompense to be paid. These women should be able to spend the rest of their lives in proper physical accommodation.

I would like to conclude by mentioning another bête noire of mine. On 25 May, the Secretary General of the Department of Justice and Equality, Mr. Seán Aylward, told the-----