Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I remind the House that the Shannon report into serial and systematic sexual abuse of young men and boys in St. John Ambulance was published two years ago, in March 2023. We hear from reports in the media that there is no plan on the part of the Minister, Deputy Foley, to have a public inquiry into what happened at St. John Ambulance. I would be concerned about what is happening in St. John Ambulance as we speak. During the preparation of Dr. Shannon’s report, he engaged with more than 100 young men and boys who had been sexually abused and raped while under the care of St. John Ambulance. We might think about the parents who handed their children over to an organisation like St. John Ambulance in loco parentis, in good faith, only to find that their children had been sexually abused and raped. I have been contacted by some of the survivors who have told me that the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, has not decided to proceed with any prosecution based on the evidence and testimony given by seven survivors. This is absolutely devastating for those survivors. As Senator O’Loughlin mentioned, we all condemn toxic masculinity in this House. On St. Patrick's Day, we had the spectacle of two rapists grinning, smirking and laughing from the Oval Office, with one of them purporting to represent the people of Ireland.We really need to stand firm and I praise the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste on their condemnation and rebuttal of that individual, whose name I will not mention here. However, if we are serious about sex offenders, sexual abuse and toxic masculinity, it is really important we ensure that the voices of boys and men who are survivors of sexual abuse are listened to, because it is the same toxic dynamic.

I remind the House that last year, we had a debate on the publication of the Shannon report. It was unanimously agreed the report should be published, and it was, but it was also unanimously agreed here across parties that there should be a full public inquiry into what has happened in St. John Ambulance. I am very concerned that it is using its money and core funding to pay solicitors and barristers to forensically and adversarially examine survivors and expose them to hostile scrutiny. The organisation is also spending hundreds of thousands multi-annually on a PR contract. Why is this money being spent in that way? We need accountability from St. John Ambulance and, as a House, we should again demand that full public inquiry. I ask the Leader if we could have another opportunity to ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, to reflect and consider what is reported in the media about there being no plans for an inquiry. There really needs to be one.