Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response. It is something new for me. I will certainly look for the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General. I am conscious of the fact it is an indictment of the system, the State and the Legislature that a previous Government gave an indemnity scheme to a number of religious orders. Many other people who had been in institutional care were barred from going through the redress scheme. It is not correct to state everyone has been satisfied, only those included in the Schedule.A Schedule to the legislation identified a number of institutions but the Bethany Home, for instance, has never been included. People have been on to the Minister's office constantly about that, and I have seen a great deal of correspondence in that regard. There are many such institutions but because there was no proven track record of State intervention or support, access was denied. There is a group of people who feel they got a raw deal. Personally, I know three or four people who are taking judicial reviews at no cost to themselves because decent solicitors' firms in Dublin are supporting them, based on the huge amount of evidence they have presented.

I thank the Minister for being very frank, honest and upfront. I can see he empathises with the issues around this. As he raised it, I ask if he can come back to the House on the Comptroller and Auditor General's report, which is a concrete bit of work and about which we will know more today. In that, there will be lessons for all of us to learn. Clearly, there will have to be other forms of redress for other people which we will discuss in both Houses over the next few weeks. These people got a raw deal and deserve justice, fair play and redress. I thank the Minister for the detailed report and express the hope that we will look at this, if appropriate in one of the joint committees, with a view to the social implications, in particular. While we may not have a legal option to pursue these religious orders, we have leverage. A number of these institutions are operating schools under the Minister's remit. They are also operating hospitals and availing of public funds. Perhaps that is the leverage we can use. While the public can ultimately name and shame them, we must at the end of the day examine whether it is right and proper to fund and assist these congregations where they fail to face up to their responsibilities.