Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein)

I also support Senator Stephenson's amendment on supports for survivors of institutional abuse. There are moments in this Chamber when we are called, not just to legislate, but to listen to those whose lives have been shaped by decisions made in rooms like this. Last week, I spoke about a woman from my constituency. I will not repeat her story today. The point is not her pain, but the lesson we take from it. In its current form, the Bill does not go half as far as it needs to. What the woman's story and countless similar stories have shown is that the impact of the institutional abuse in Ireland did not end at the gates or with the reports that were published. The trauma echoed into families, futures and generations. The Bill creates a narrow frame as to who qualifies and who does not, who was harmed and who was not. It says that if a person was not in the building, he or she does not count. Trauma does not follow legal boundaries. Rather, it follows people.

I want to be clear that I welcome any progress this Bill provides on recognition to survivors. However, we should not confuse a step forward with a finished journey. This Bill does not go far enough. It does not treat survivors who have lived abroad and those who have lived here equally. It does not ensure automatic access to healthcare supports. It does not acknowledge the unpaid labour that survivors gave in these institutions. It certainly does not recognise the harm done to the children of the survivors - the second generation - who grew up in homes marked by absence, silence and unprocessed grief.

We in Sinn Féin tabled many amendments, many of which were stricken out. They were good and practical amendments. The amendments we suggested were not rhetorical. They are required if this legislation is to be worthy of the people it claims to serve. We have heard the phrase "lessons learned" more times than I can count, but learning requires change. Otherwise, it is just performance. What good is this redress scheme that retraumatises survivors by asking them to prove again that their pain is real? What good is a support system that only supports the few? What good is an apology when it comes with conditions? This is not about perfecting the past; it is about correcting the present so that future generations are not left wondering why the State stopped short again. Survivors do not need our pity; they need our partnership. This means passing a Bill that sees them fully and not selectively.