Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I echo the Christmas wishes for everybody and hope that 2020 will be a fabulous year for us all.

I refer to the retention of records that were transferred to the National Archives following the Ryan commission. Every Member has probably been intensely lobbied on this. A total of 15,000 survivors submitted testimonies. The Retention of Records Bill 2019 has been somewhat controversial from the first time that it was mooted. The proposal to seal the records for 75 years is disproportionate, unnecessary and would suppress information that is in the public interest for an extraordinary period until 2094 or 2095. The testimonies are a record of our collective social history.

The Bill was due to come before the Joint Committee on Education and Skills but it was deferred and, instead, the experts presented to the committee. The legislation will not pass in its current form. There is also a growing belief that it may not be required at all. We believe that the records are covered by the National Archives Act 1986. Many people have lobbied us, including the families of survivors, and the legal and archival experts. I refer to Dr. Maeve O'Rourke who is a lecturer in human rights law. In her submission she stated: "We cannot overstate the potential impact of this Bill’s contents on our country's historical record, on survivors' and their families' personal lives, and on our State’s ability to prevent abuse in the future." Sinn Féin believes that further discussion is required. We will, therefore, oppose the progression of this Bill until we feel that both experts and survivors are satisfied with how the Government is proceeding.