Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his answer. He is right, in that including a Schedule that could be expanded was a step forward. There was considerable frustration about which institutions were being examined or reviewed. We recall the battle fought by those who had been in Bethany Home to get acknowledgment from the State of their experience and to have their circumstances examined properly. I acknowledge the Schedule and the fact that it can be expanded to deal with other circumstances, which is a step forward.

In light of the Minister's response, I will not press the amendment. He has made the case and I do not have the examples for which he asked. However, I know that I do not have a full sense of the situation either. This is generally why I am pushing for the expansion, but I acknowledge the potential for expansion by the inclusion of a Schedule that can be added to. It is a big step forward from the very frustrating discussions on how only a handful of institutions were covered previously. I hope that nothing falls through the cracks but that, if it does, it will be identified through the mechanism that the Minister outlined.