I join the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for justice and many other Ministers in offering a sincere apology to the survivors of Bill Kenneally's abuse. Today, above all else, my thoughts are with the victims and survivors. Many of them are with us in the Gallery today. Thank you for being here. I can only imagine the strength it must take to sit in this Chamber and to hear one of the darkest chapters of your lives spoken about publicly. Your presence matters. It is because of the courage, resilience and determination of people that we are at this moment. I also acknowledge the survivors who are not with us today. This apology is every bit as much for them. The truth came to light because survivors refused to let it remain hidden. They came forward, often at enormous personal cost, and continued to seek answers and accountability when the very systems that should have protected them had failed. For many survivors of child sexual abuse, the abuse does not end when it stops. Its impact can last a lifetime and can affect every aspect of a person's life - their mental health, their relationships, their sense of safety, their confidence and their ability to trust others. It can shape childhood, adulthood and family life in ways that are difficult to put into words. Many survivors have carried that burden in silence. We know they have felt isolated, disbelieved in some instances and forgotten in others because they have told us that. Some have spent decades searching not only for justice but simply for an acknowledgement of what happened to them. No apology can undo that harm or give back what was taken from anyone who has suffered. It cannot erase the years of pain, nor can it change the failures that allowed abuse to continue. However, it can acknowledge those failures. It can recognise the profound wrong that was done. It can say clearly and without reservation that those children were let down by the very people and institutions meant to protect them. That is why today's apology matters. It is about recognising the truth, taking responsibility and making it clear that children must always come first. I welcome the publication of the final report of the south east independent commission of investigation and acknowledge the significant work involved in bringing this difficult process to a conclusion. I thank Judge Barry Hickson and Mr. Justice Michael White for their significant work and acknowledge how deeply distressing the findings are. They reveal repeated missed opportunities, ignored warning signs and systemic failures that allowed abuse to occur over many years. Children who should have been protected were instead left vulnerable. The institutions entrusted with keeping children safe failed in that duty. Concerns were not acted upon, children were not listened to and opportunities to intervene were missed. The consequences of those failures have been profound. Reading the report, it is impossible not to think about what could have been different if action was taken sooner - how much suffering may have been prevented and how many lives might have been spared years of trauma. Ireland has learned painful lessons from its past. We now have a much greater understanding of child sexual abuse, of the lasting harm it causes and the importance of systems that listen to children, that support survivors and that act quickly when concerns arise. Significant progress has been made in child protection, safeguarding and public awareness. Those changes matter. They cannot undo what has happened, nor can they lessen our responsibility to ensure that every child is safe and heard and every concern is taken seriously. Today is not about institutions, however. It is about people and the people who were failed by them. To every survivor, for the abuse that you suffered and the failures that left you without the protection that you deserved, and for the years it took for your voices to be heard, we are deeply sorry.

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