Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this debate. I was present in the Dáil when the Taoiseach made that emotional apology to those women who spent time in Magdalen laundries and felt an immense pride and hope that day, as I saw the expressions of joy and relief on the faces of the women who were present. Consequently, I am absolutely dismayed that all Members are reading through the e-mails with which I am sure everyone has been bombarded and has received in recent weeks on how unhappy the women are with the situation. I too join in the calls for the Minister to examine some of the amendments and discussions arising here because I believe all Members essentially are coming up with the same points as to the items that must be considered. I will make three points, the first of which is on the issue of medical cards. This appears to be a huge bone of contention and must be examined. Women who have ordinary medical cards - as many of them already do - cannot access the equipment and other services due to waiting lists and exhausted budgets. On reading all of these messages and having spoken to women who have contacted me, I agree they should get an enhanced system and should be entitled to all the supports needed. In addition, those women in nursing homes should be considered as some have reported to me they now are being neglected and cannot get the equipment they need on their medical cards. They end up either paying for it from their own savings or not getting it at all.

Another major issue that has been brought to my attention and about which I am very concerned is the lack of oversight and support for the survivors as has been reported. The Quirke report proposed that an office be set up to support the women and while I acknowledge that an office has been set up to support them from a financial perspective, I do not refer to monetary matters but to an office to offer support and help to women. I am calling for something like that to be set up to support the women because such supports are vital to ensure the women have somewhere to which to turn to have their needs understood by those who can help them because they are all of an advancing age. In this context, I note that Caranua was set up for industrial school survivors and something must be put in place to take action on behalf of these women.

Almost everyone has referred today to the plight of people with intellectual disability. The delay in bringing forward the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Bill 2013 has had a huge impact on those women who have intellectual disabilities or mental health issues and are not in a position to apply themselves for funds. This is an issue that must be examined on Committee Stage because as matters stand and given the way this is going through in the Bill, these women will be dead before anything gets sorted out. It is highly unfair that those in need of the most are being made to wait the longest. I concur that some of these issues should be examined on Committee Stage because Members on both sides of the House all are singing from the same hymn sheet that something must be done and areas of this legislation must be reconsidered.

In conclusion, it never will be possible to compensate these women for what happened to them and the shameful way in which they were treated. However, Members owe it to them to ensure they have the highest level of comfort, support and services and to do everything that can be done for them now. Senator Craughwell mentioned that he had worked in or visited a Magdalen laundry. Magdalen laundries were present in part of the schools to which one would go and one could hear stories. In addition, on looking at the film, "The Magdalene Sisters", it is absolutely appalling. I am delighted that in some schools, particularly convent schools, English teachers are using it and are bringing this forward because younger people should be educated on this issue. They should be shown what did happen, how ashamed we are that this was allowed to happen in our country and that it will not continue. As I stated, I was present and met the women on the day the Taoiseach stood up in the Dáil Chamber to apologise to them. It was an absolutely wonderful moment and I feel strongly about how Members now are obliged to find out precisely how unhappy the women are about the whole situation.