Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join other Senators in congratulating Bridget Doody on her appointment. I look forward to working with her.

Others have spoken about what we saw in Tuam. It was not shocking because it was well signalled but in terms of the idea of hundreds of babies and children buried in septic tanks, and all of the pain that goes with that, I join those who have called for the commission of inquiry's interim report to be published now. I understand the Government is waiting to have its response in terms of that but we can no longer delay the publication of the interim report. We need to expand the commission's terms of reference to the 180 or whatever number of other institutions that must be included. We must look to questions around the Bessborough mother and baby home, where the mortality rates were shocking and need to be followed up and investigated.

I want to follow up on what Senator Bacik said, which is that as well as the debate we will have this week on Ireland's appalling history of institutional violence in the case of Grace and in the case of the mother and baby homes as highlighted on Thursday, we need to have a wider debate on the culture of denial, the overall history of institutional abuse in Ireland and how it came about. We need a "Why" debate that looks to the patterns of denial, obstruction of justice and the inadequacy of redress.

People have called for an apology from the Bon Secours sisters. We also need compensation. Every order in this country needs to be paying the compensation it should be paying into the funds, which they have neglected. They also need to recognise the moneys made on the backs of those who worked in the Magdalen laundries, for example.

In that same week we had a story that did not get as much coverage. Marie Collins, an Irish survivor of abuse, resigned from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors because of what she referred to as the shameful resistance she met within the church to acting for the protection of minors and facing up to past abuse.

I concur with Senator Gavan. We need to ask a fundamental question. Is it appropriate that the institutions which are obstructing justice in these areas and have this legacy of abuse would be in charge of institutions such as our health or education services? We, as a State, need to step in and ask that bigger question.

My last question-----