Rónán Mullen (Independent)

I welcome the announcement by the Government about the establishment of a commission of inquiry into allegations of historical sexual abuse in Irish schools. In particular, I welcome that this is going to focus on all day and boarding schools. I was particularly concerned about the narrowness of the remit given to the previous scoping inquiry. In focusing on all day and boarding schools run by religious orders or employing members of religious orders, there has been a danger because of the context in this country of scapegoating one particular cohort of people when what is needed is accountability by all who have responsibility for past wrongdoings or failures, without fear or favour. I therefore welcome the broad nature of the remit given to the commission of inquiry, which will be led by Mr. Justice Michael McGrath. This brings its own problems, though. He has been given a five-year period in which to report. It is part of the modern history of our country that all of this involves a certain amount of grief-letting, which is difficult as a society. Let us hope that, as a result of all this, there will be comfort brought to people who have suffered and redress where it is deserved.

On that point, it is obscene that the Government has been seeking to get redress from organisations such as the Legion of Mary in the context of the Magdalen homes. A look at the Murphy commission's report and at the McAleese report should leave us all clear that, while people must always compensate where they have been abusing or have failed to act on abuse, the fact that religious organisations were involved in giving care in a very impoverished and sometimes cruel Irish past is not a reason to target those organisations simply because they are religious organisations. It is a form of extortion when one considers the disproportionate resources that the State has. To think that Roderic O'Gorman and, as far as I know, his successor Norma Foley are going after the Legion of Mary, an organisation that worked so hard to keep mothers and their babies together, shows the failure to think this issue through and the failure to be responsible and fair as we assess where responsibility lies in these matters.