Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes. It is nonsense and it disregards the years, if not decades in some cases, victims spend dealing with the fallout of the actions of those perpetrators. We need to examine this matter. I do not know how the Cabinet can do so, given that there is supposed to be independence, but we need to reflect on the fact that this is not just about justice being delayed, but about justice being denied because of some man's age, disregarding everything he has done in his life.

We need a public inquiry, and not just into the allegations of abuse in St. John Ambulance. We have been told of the activities in the Spiritans. This week, we discovered Dr. Michael Shine's non-disclosure agreements. Prosecutions against him were refused because of his age. It is nonsense.

If anyone believes that sexual abuse and rape are things of the past, he or she is not accepting reality. Looking back on the history of how we addressed situations in this country, we all have an element of shame over how people were dealt with, but we have an opportunity now to ensure that we accept the mistakes of the past and never repeat them. There are people who are lucky enough as victims to have been able to put their trauma in a box, park it away somewhere at the back of their brains and get on with trying to have lives, but there are thousands of victims who are not that lucky. It is up to us on behalf of the State to ensure that, as the Minister is preparing to put supports in place, we give them an opportunity to achieve justice regardless of the age of the perpetrators.

I thank everyone for supporting the motion. It is not the Minister's personal responsibility to decide on whether to hold a public inquiry, but I hope that he brings the motion to the Cabinet for discussion and that the Cabinet reflects on the wider issue in society.