Marie Moloney (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and congratulate him on his elevation to the Cabinet. From his speech and how he delivered it, I know he has a lot of compassion and will deal with this compassionately. Many of us here are privileged to be parents, either by birth or adoption. I have no doubt we have all showered our children with love, affection, good education and the material things in life. Let us imagine an Ireland without televisions, mobile phones, iPads, iPods, computers and certainly without Google. Let us imagine an Ireland of naivety, ignorance of the ways of the world, social conservatism and devout Catholic ideals but, sadly, without compassion and lacking in Christian values, where a young girl could be turned out of her home to face the unknown.

Let us imagine the fear in that young woman - or rather, usually, young girl - who did not even know what was happening to her body. Let us imagine the terror, loneliness and isolation such a young girl endured, disowned by her family, shunned by the neighbours and an outcast from the community for having brought "shame on herself and her family". She faced the ordeal of giving birth not knowing what would happen to her or her unborn child. She was penniless, alone and totally dependent on those in charge of the mother and baby homes. This is the horrific situation in which young girls found themselves between the 1920s and 1960s in a country where these women felt, as the Taoiseach said, ashamed, suppressed and dominated. What happened to these girls once they walked, or were dragged, through the doors of these homes?

We all know of the dreadful and harrowing stories of the Magdalen laundries women, the residents of the Bethany Home and industrial institutions. If those walls could talk would they tell us what happened to the babies? Were their births recorded and were birth certificates ever issued? Were they baptised, are there records of baptismal certificates and were their deaths recorded on death certificates? Is there anything in this world to say these innocent babies ever existed? Is their only legacy a pile of bones laying discarded in an unmarked grave or, as suggested in media reports, in a septic tank?

What of the fathers of these babies? They were not cast out from their homes. They were not left to fend for themselves and they were not made take responsibility for their actions. They were allowed skulk away and pretend it had nothing to do with them. They were considered to be merely sowing their wild oats. They lived in a country where laws were made by men and ruled over by men to protect men. Thankfully that has changed and today's men are more responsible and are willing to lead the charge in obtaining the truth and justice.

I would use the word "shameful" to describe us as a nation and as a society that allowed this to happen. When we hear of mass graves in other countries we immediately react with horror. Here it is on our own doorstep. We owe it to these women and the innocent babies found in that mass grave to find out exactly what happened. There may be more such cases around the country, many babies who were the subject of forced adoptions and illegally registered, and we owe it to them all. We must discover what was endured by the women in Tuam and all over this country.

I welcome the establishment of a commission of investigation with statutory powers and the Minister's swift actions. The investigation must expose the injustice, the abuse and the appalling treatment of these women. Shame on us as a society and shame on all politicians who stood over the appalling treatment of women and children during those years. Shame on the organisations, both State and religious, into whose care these young women were placed - they let them down so badly. Most of all, shame on the men who got these women pregnant and then abandoned them.

I welcome the fact that all parties are willing to work together to see justice is done rather than make a political football out of sensitive and emotive matter.