Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the 14 Members who contributed on the Order of Business. Ar mo shon féin, ar son Fhine Gael agus ar son gach Seanadóir sa Teach, déanaim comhbhrón le muintir Annmarie O'Brien agus na leanaí a fuair bháis. Today we remember Annmarie O'Brien, Paris, Holly and Jordan. As I stated yesterday, it is important to recognise that the loss of life is tragic. How it happened is even more numbing. We send our deepest sympathies to the families. No words of ours today will offer any solace but it is important to stand in solidarity with the families. We extend our sympathy to the family of Joe McGouran as well.

Senators Ardagh and Ruane raised the issue of yesterday's march. As I stated yesterday, it is important that we allow the Citizens' Assembly to do its work. In congratulating the people who marched yesterday, it is important to distinguish between maternal services and the repeal the eighth amendment. In my opinion, they are not linked.We have a very positive national maternity strategy. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, is pursuing that but it is important that we acknowledge that the Constitutional Convention, which was set up in the previous Oireachtas, did a tremendous job and now we have the Citizens' Assembly. I made the point yesterday that those who criticised the establishment of the Citizens' Assembly should look at the proceedings from last Saturday and Sunday and watch the way the members of the assembly read the policy and position papers put forward by the various advocacy groups, both for and against. It is evident that this will be a divisive issue but, that said, it is important that the Citizens' Assembly is allowed to compete its work and that the report it presents to the Government will then be debated in both Houses of the Oireachtas.

It is my expressed hope that we will have a referendum to put to the people that will decide the issue. We can debate the issue when the report has been made by the Citizens' Assembly, when we know what it recommends and what the Government intends to do following the publication and consideration of the report. Those who marched yesterday deserve to be congratulated for taking a stand. People will also have another view and they will march as well. That is the democracy we live in. We should welcome and congratulate all those who march and organise.

Senator Boyhan raised the redress scheme and the report published today on the matter. I share his disappointment at the failure of the religious congregations to live up to their side of the deal. Government policy was, and still is, to pursue the religious congregations for their share of the costs of redress on a 50:50 basis. What that means is that the religious congregations would contribute €760 million. To date, what has transpired is that approximately 23% of the overall cost has been contributed. Contributions received from the congregations up to the end of 2015 represent approximately 13% of the cost. Senator Nash outlined that the 2002 deal was signed up to by the then Minister, Michael Woods. It is a bit hard to listen to Deputy Micheál Martin's comments about handing over buildings and grounds when the deal to which he was a party, as a member of the then Government, let the congregations off the hook. Rather than playing to the gallery in terms of being populist, we should see how we can collectively get the money or its equivalent. I do not wish to be political.

The State must look after those who were treated badly and pursue those responsible. I speak as Leader. We have had the Cloyne report, the Ryan report, the Murphy report and we now have the awful tragedy of the Tuam mother and baby home on which we will have a debate today in the House. We will also debate the Grace case today. As the Taoiseach said, how long more do we have to keep coming back to the legacies of the past? There is an obligation and duty on the current group of people in charge of religious orders and congregations to live up to the expectations of the people of the country who look to them to provide a new type of leadership. We can have all the commissions of investigation we want - we accept that we need them - but we also agree that responsibility must be taken and people must be accountable. It is about time those who are now in charge in religious orders live up to their expectation. I was condemned for the reply I made to Senator Gavan about the Bon Secours group. One cannot equate today's modern hospital groups that provide services with the old system. There is an obligation on those who were not part of that system. I wish to make a distinction.