We in the Social Democrats welcome today's statement and the scoping exercise into Michael Shine's abuse. I thank the Minister for Health for providing time for this dedicated debate. Michael Shine is one of the most notorious and prolific paedophiles in Irish history and a full public inquiry into his abuse is long overdue and must finally be delivered. His abuse was carried out on an industrial scale and went unchecked for far too long – dating as far back as the 1960s and continuing throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Reports of his abuse at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda began in 1964, but no action was taken by the hospital and the beginning of the despicable pattern in our State institutions continued. Public bodies turned a blind eye to the abuse of children and young people, allowing him to continue his crimes for decades. Even as recently as the early 2000s, when a victim took the brave step of making a formal complaint to the Garda, he was told that there was not sufficient evidence and that he should write a letter of apology to Michael Shine for bringing the allegation. That is an outrageous situation. It is more evidence of a system that has systematically failed victims over and over again, retraumatising them rather than supporting them. It is not as if Shine's abuses were not known. It has been described as an open secret locally, yet his crimes went unchecked by the State for decades. As has been the case again and again, the systems that should protect and support victims closed ranks. There must be accountability for this. We need to know who knew what, who facilitated it, and who allowed it to continue and to cover it up. Why was this man aided and abetted for so long? While it is welcome that a scoping exercise is finally under way, why has it taken decades to get to this point? In a country with such a long and dark history of abuse, we should know better. More decisive action should have been taken years ago. There have been too many cases of abuse in which the State has dragged its heels, in particular when it comes to establishing inquiries, ensuring transparency and delivering accountability. For years, survivors have sought an inquiry to examine how Shine's abuses were allowed to go unfettered for so long and why it took decades to secure a conviction. The fact of the matter is that Michael Shine has only served three years in jail for these horrific crimes. Survivors have rightly argued that this is not justice served given he has only been convicted for crimes against nine boys when we know there were so many more victims of his crimes. The Court of Appeal said he preyed on these young boys whom he was entrusted to medically examine. To date, more than 400 men have come forward. However, new cases continue to emerge and victims believe that a more accurate figure could be in excess of 1,000. Even as recently as last year Shine still showed no remorse, nor would he take any responsibility for his depraved crimes. This is a man who got to retire more than 30 years ago on a full pension, having spent decades abusing boys and young men. It took until 2019 for him to face any jail time, albeit far too short a sentence. That was following years of him fighting every step of the way, even seeking damages from the State. His recent prosecution barely scratched the surface of the crimes he committed. Notwithstanding the unjustifiable delays in getting to this point, it is a positive development that this scoping exercise is finally under way. The appointment of Lorcan Staines SC in March was a welcome step. It is essential that this scoping exercise is now followed by a full statutory inquiry in which victims, who have waited long enough, should have their voices heard. On behalf of the Social Democrats I pay tribute to the courage and resilience of the survivors and their representative group, Dignity4Patients. They should not have had to tell their stories again and again to finally secure this scoping exercise. Their tireless fight in the pursuit of truth must now be honoured with a full statutory inquiry. Nothing less will suffice. The system failed them. Now it must support them in the pursuit of truth. A statutory public inquiry is the only way to properly investigate not only the actions of Michael Shine but also the failings of several public bodies and how this was allowed to continue for so long. The matter has never been properly dealt with. It is time for the State to rectify that and ensure that this is never allowed to happen again. After decades of fighting for justice and truth, the scoping exercise's 16-week timeframe must be adhered to. This process must finally deliver for the survivors. It is crucial that any ultimate statutory inquiry is victim-centred and adheres to their experiences and needs. Victims' stories must be listened to and their questions must be answered. Above all, we must ensure nothing like this can ever happen again. We in the Social Democrats will work with the Government in whatever way we can to advance this important work and obtain justice for the victims once and for all.

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