Seanad debates

Tuesday, 25 March 2025

Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters

Child Protection

2:00 am

Photo of Chris AndrewsChris Andrews (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. I have heard that response before - that is being honest - and it is not acceptable. No one has been held accountable for the abuse at St. John Ambulance. An apology is not enough. Survivors have been to hell and back. Some are struggling with homelessness and addiction and are struggling to cope. An apology is not good enough and accountability is what is needed. There was significant organisational awareness of this abuse, which went unchecked for decades, and we need to do more. We need to hold people to account.

The Minister of State mentioned that the Government had no role in the running of St. John Ambulance, yet it gives money and allocates funding and resources to St. John Ambulance. As I mentioned earlier, justice delayed is justice denied, and the survivors of the St. John Ambulance abuse deserve more.

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