Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sorry. I do not know whether I need to repeat it, but I acknowledge what the Minister stated at the outset of this debate. The humility of his comments and his acknowledgement of mistakes in the context of this legislation were important.

Senators have mentioned the effect of those mistakes on the survivors and victims of the horrible deeds about which we know. The anxiety, hurt and upset they have been caused are undeniable. In all of the discussions in the Houses, what has been absent is a recognition of what has truly caused that hurt, that is, a sustained and dishonest campaign of misinformation about what the Bill does. Every Oireachtas Member has received thousands of emails on this subject, including ones that were grossly misinformed because of discussions online and elsewhere, including the mainstream media, about issues that were not covered by the Bill. I do not know how many emails I have received from people criticising me for sealing the records of the mother and baby homes, a matter that is not addressed in the Bill. I have challenged other Members to point out where the Bill states we will seal those records. They have not been able to tell me because it does not. This is a short Bill that deals with the specific issue the Minister identified, that is, safeguarding the database created by the commission.

I welcome the his comments on revising the time limits to be applied to information from the commission and revising what we will do to make that information available to people.Everybody, in both Houses, recognises the importance of his doing so. However, if we are to be honest on this subject, we must recognise that there are parties out there, and in here, who have been involved in wilfully misleading the victims of these homes.