I just want to seek some sort of clarity on the statement, but before that, I congratulate, in spite of all the adversity they went through, the efforts those in the Gallery made against the tide and against the resistance they faced. They pushed on through and got it. Many of them came from Tralee as well but-----

Sentiment score: -0.07

Yes. I see in the Taoiseach's statement on behalf of the Government that he acknowledges and apologises for the generational wrong. He acknowledges that some children who were subsequently boarded out experienced exploitation and that many boys were sent to work on farms and many girls were sent to work in domestic service. He said in the statement at the time-----

Sentiment score: 0.02

Regardless of the pathway from which individuals were boarded out, the Taoiseach has acknowledged that it is unforgivable, and that is good. He recognises situations where children were wrongly and harshly treated. He stated: "The Government recognises the suffering and damage ... this ... has caused, and we will continue to support you as much as possible." However, people who were boarded out from county homes cannot "continue to be supported" because they were never included in any redress scheme. Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that promises would be made, but promises were broken. Something must be done, he said at one stage. Will the people who were boarded out from the county homes be included in part of any redress scheme? It is unclear, I suggest, what the Taoiseach says when he says the Government will continue to support them, because the people I speak to have not been supported initially. They have not been included in any redress scheme, so it is impossible to continue to support them when the Government has not been doing so, even though the Taoiseach acknowledges the wrong that has been done to them. This is important for the thousands of people who were boarded out because it was the State that abandoned, discriminated against and did not help those children at every step of the way. We cannot blame mother and baby homes or any segment of the Catholic Church or any other church for that matter. It was always the State. I ask Members opposite in their closing remarks to clarify whether those children, who are now in their 70s, will be included. A lot of them do not want counselling any more and do not need it, but they do want to be included as part of the redress scheme. It is important, and I want to know and they want to know whether they will be included.

Sentiment score: 0.00