Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment to our business proposed by my colleague, Senator Hoey. I wish to raise the recent RTÉ "Prime Time" programme, which aired last week and featured three men who were part of the so-called State boarding-out system. While the programme acknowledged that many of the children placed with foster families through the system had positive experiences, others were grossly exploited, badly fed and basically used as slave labour. My colleague and cathaoirleach of Athy Town Council at the time, municipal district councillor Aoife Breslin, has called for an inquiry into this questionable practice.

Over recent years, I have dealt with many of those who were forced through a system that left many of them traumatised and deeply scarred for life. Unfortunately, some of them have passed away. In conversations with them over the years, however, I was always struck by the photos they showed me of the places where they suffered, as if those photos were an eternal reminder to them of what this State had put them through and where they had suffered.

I have written to the Minister with responsibility for children seeking answers for those who were put through this system, many of whom came through the 27 county homes in the State, some of which still operated into the 1990s. Like my colleague, I believe the Minister needs to urgently address another unforgivable episode in how we treated children in 20th century Ireland. I note the Minister said that these cases were considered by an interdepartmental group and he hopes a report will be published by April. However, many other questions are emerging about the county home system and I believe these will multiply in the coming weeks.

I also wish to raise the closures of 88 Bank of Ireland branches in the State. I listened to much commentary this morning about the reduction in customer numbers going through the branches. If a bank ever wanted to reduce customer contact then directing those loyal customers to use machines in a faceless branch was always going to reduce its customer interaction. That was the experience of many people over the last number of years. The loss of bank branches in Monasterevin, Kilcullen and Celbridge will hit those towns hard. Those branches have remained a focal point in those towns and were used by locals in pointing out that the towns had a future and could attract investment and opportunities. I ask that the Leader contact Bank of Ireland to pause these particular closures.