Residential Institutions
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-12
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Jen Cummins (SD), Dublin South-Central

I appreciate that, and I know they do as well. Going back to the human level, however, that Act was enacted in July and they were on strike in the autumn. It is now springtime. They have had decades of recurring trauma based on how this country treated them as children. Some of them are of advanced age and some are not but, with the toll it has taken on them - not only the hunger strike but the entirety of their lives - they have said they do not know how much longer they have. I urge the Minister to be as fast as she can on this and that we never forget. I am hoping the Government will issue that apology sooner rather than later. I know there are technicalities it needs to do but an apology is an acknowledgement of things not being right in the past.
Before I finish, I welcome my transition year students who are up in the Public Gallery and have done great work this week. Well done lads, you have been brilliant.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-12