92. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether it is her intention to set up a redress scheme for victims of historical sexual abuse perpetrated by both lay and religious teachers in schools; and the timeline for the establishment of any such redress scheme. [70943/25]

Sentiment score: -0.25

I just got off the phone with a lovely man in his 70s. Let us call him Stephen. He was absolutely savagely abused when he was nine years old and for quite a while. It is only recently, now that he is in his 70s, that he has been able to acknowledge the damage that was done to him. He wants to know when this investigation is going to be established so that he can tell his story. He also wants to know whether people like him, whose lives were affected for their rest of their lives, will get redress for the savage abuse they suffered at school.

Sentiment score: -0.26

Stephen described to me in really emotive terms the sadistic abuse that he suffered as a nine-year-old boy and even earlier. He was savagely beaten, humiliated and stripped naked to such an extent that he fled school and never learned to read and write. He described in very emotional terms how he was never able to read bedtime stories to his children, how he imagined it was all his fault, and the shame he suffered all his life. He considered himself to be a dunce and stupid because they were the labels that were associated with him. He spoke of how his entire life was limited in terms of job opportunities. He could not admit that he could not read and write because he did not want to get into the reasons for that. He has only been able to come to terms with it and make a Garda complaint very recently. What he wants to know is when he will he get an acknowledgement and an apology from the State that allowed this to happen. When will he be able to tell his story? I note from what the Minister of State has said that the timeline for this sounds worryingly long. Stephen is in his 70s. Hopefully, he will be here for quite a while yet but people are getting old and they need to know they are going to have some opportunity to tell their story and get redress soon.

Sentiment score: -0.21

We really need a clear timeline. That needs to happen soon. I am also worried that the terms of reference of this investigation may exclude people because of the type of abuse they suffered. What I described to the Minister of State was absolutely horrendous abuse. Whether it falls within a strict definition of sexual abuse is debatable but it was sadistic, brutal and life-changing abuse. Today, when he was describing the physical and mental damage done to him, he expressed concern about his classmates who also suffered this abuse. He does not know what happened to them but he is still worried about that and about the damage that was done to them because it was so savage and brutal. What he wants is a clear assurance and for the Minister of State or the Government to say that he will get an apology and an opportunity to tell his story and that there will be some redress for the lifelong damage done to him through the sadistic abuse he endured.

Sentiment score: -0.53