Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I agree with my colleagues on the proposed guillotining of the Planning and Development Bill. We will deal with that later.

I wrote to the Leader, and I thank her and her office for agreeing to follow up on the suggestion of a debate and statements regarding the Report of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Day and Boarding Schools Run by Religious Orders that was undertaken and published by Mary O'Toole SC. This is a horrific story, and it is true. It needs to be discussed. There has been very little discussion in this House about it, which has surprised me. I looked through this report today. The scoping inquiry has been told about 2,395 allegations of historical abuse investigating 884 alleged abusers in 308 schools in this State. We have to be frank and have a discussion. I commend Dermot Farrell, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, who spoke about taking ownership. He is taking ownership. In a very good article at the weekend, he wrote about taking ownership of and addressing this issue and giving proper redress. I do not want to have to spend time today recounting the issues on redress. We left people short with regard to redress. We voted on it in this House and there will come a time when we will be called to account. I am tired of listening to people with tears and emotion telling sad stories. The reality is that we left people short - families, women and children. I spent this summer visiting farmed-out children in Ballinasloe. They told heartbreaking stories of how they have been refused any support. We have to accept that we have short-changed people. I acknowledge the Leader is working on it and I thank her and everyone in her office. I know she has already been in touch with the Minister. Let us have a frank, open discussion and statements with the Minister as early as possible regarding this specific report.