Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like other speakers, I compliment the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, Deputy Michael Martin, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, and the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch. Yesterday was a fine day. The Magdalen girls and ladies had suffered for so long. I listened to them on "Morning Ireland" and they appreciate all that was done. The Taoiseach's speech was very moving. He demonstrated compassion for the ladies and scrubbed away the nation's shadows.

It is time to have such a debate on scrubbing away our nation's shadows. That would be a good title for such a debate because for too many years we put away our conscience and not just alone on this issue. As well as doing a great service to the women who were in the Magdalen laundries and what they suffered as demonstrated in the report, such a debate would help Ireland's conscience to realise the Ireland we thought we had was all a shadow.

I am proud to be a member of a party that has a leader such as Deputy Enda Kenny who showed his compassion, that he is real and that he cares. He has done for the country, his people and the Magdalen people a magnificent job. I also want to pay tribute to Deputy Martin who had the guts to stand up-----