I have addressed this point on numerous occasions, both during the earlier part of the Report Stage debate and on Committee Stage. I accept that Senator Gavan does not agree with my position but it is wrong of him to say I have not addressed the question, which I have done on many occasions before now.

On the amendment put forward by Senator Flynn-----

I completely understand where Senator Flynn and the Civil Engagement Group are coming from in putting forward this amendment, which we had the opportunity to discuss on Committee Stage. However, I am not able to accept it. It would only apply to people who submitted an affidavit. The ability to receive an apology would apply only to a certain category of those making an application under the scheme. As we discussed previously, the vast majority of people applying to the scheme will not need to make an affidavit. By…

I will speak to the amendments put forward by Senator Flynn and also to some Government amendments. This grouping relates to the legal waiver for the scheme. As outlined in previous debate and in a written response provided to the Senators on the matter, the scheme will include a legal waiver. I have received consistent advice that this is acceptable for this scheme, similar to other ex gratia schemes. The legal waiver will only be signed at the point where an applicant accepts an offer of a financial payment under…

The amendments we are bringing forward do not in any way limit or seek to reduce the number of people who can avail of this scheme. What they do is clarify the applicability of the waiver. I think they work to clarify and make it more specific in terms of what the waiver actually covers. It is done in a way that is to the benefit of those making applications under the scheme.

It is absolutely the intention behind the scheme to provide a response and to process and provide the determination on an application for a payment as quickly as possible. That is set out clearly in section 26(1) where it states that it must be done "as soon as practicable", and in particular for people who have perhaps an illness or are of advanced years. We know that would be a significant number of the body of 34,000 people who will be making applications to this scheme. It gives the chief deciding officer the r…

As outlined on Committee Stage, the purpose of this Bill is to provide for the establishment of the payments scheme, the making of payments and the provision of health benefits under the scheme. What is being proposed in this amendment is extremely challenging. Some of the requirements coming in from this amendment might not be legally possible, in particular the creation of statutory obligations and offences for non-compliance, which is part of what is being proposed here. It would be extremely difficult to set ou…

Significantly fewer childcare services have closed at this time this year than in any of the previous years Deputy Tóibín has cited. That is because of the huge investment the State has put in. It was €259 million in the first year of core funding. Now, as we move to the second year of core funding, there is an additional €28 million. This 11% increase in core funding in year 2 is designed to recognise administrative costs and non-staff overheads and particularly recognising the additional challenges that small ses…

That is entirely untrue, just to put that on the record. What is important to say is that I have engaged very extensively with all the organisations in the early years sector. I meet them regularly in the forum. I have, on many occasions this year and last year, met the particular group protesting outside the Dáil today. I see the Deputy has been briefed with the report. I have not had the opportunity to read it. I will of course look through it. Essentially, though, as I said in response to Deputy Tóibín, we put a…

There is a WRC process under way involving my Department, the Department of Health, Tusla and the HSE and related to both section 39 and section 56 organisations, which have not seen the degree of pay restoration that civil and public servants have received. That process is ongoing. Our Departments and agencies are participating in it. It has not concluded yet but I hope the process can lead to a satisfactory outcome for many of these organisations.

I hope we will see a satisfactory outcome over the course of the summer.

I thank the Deputy for his engagement, and that of Deputies Feighan and Kenny, on this issue. As the Deputy said, we put out a request for tender for additional accommodation and we received an offer in response from Sligo. When it became apparent that the offer would have an impact on student accommodation, and recognising the pressure on student accommodation in the north west, my Department and our officials immediately engaged with both the ATU and with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, …

I thank Senator Ruane for tabling the amendment. I will respond to Senator Hoey. She said people are not included. Anyone who is mixed race and was in mother and baby or county home institution is included in this scheme. Anyone who underwent non-consensual vaccine trials and was in a mother and baby home or a county home is included in the scheme. They get a general payment. There is not a specific stream of payment to recognise the discrimination they suffered as a result of being mixed race. There is no addition…

I take the point. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to accept the amendments, which propose reports after 12 months to determine the potential to make additional payments to specific groups of survivors and to cause a review of the scheme following any decision, opinion or recommendation of international human rights bodies. In addition in response to Senator Hoey's point, as I outlined during Committee Stage proceedings the scheme will provide an all-encompassing general payment to eligible applicants. As I ha…

I accept the point the Senator is making in terms of forced family separation and I accept what she is saying about choice. We have spoken to people where an adoption was a decision and we have also spoken to people where an adoption was not a decision. I accept the Senator's point in this regard, therefore, and I thank her for providing clarity. Ultimately, this legislation seeks to bring forward a redress scheme for this grouping of institutions, namely, the mother and baby and county home institutions. I recogni…

I thank Senator Ruane for her amendments. I fundamentally disagree with the argument she is making that a scheme requiring evidence to be brought forward and risking the retraumatisation of survivors is preferable. We know from international experience and domestically from people who have used the mechanisms, such as the residential institutions redress scheme, that individualised schemes have been harshly criticised by survivors who had to use those processes and especially that requirement to provide evidence. I…

I will speak to the point about testimony and the value of people's testimony. I agree with that point. This is why I have set out that with the records and the memorial centre we are looking to create a facility where people can give their lived experience and can ensure that it is kept on the historical record. We are looking to initiate it with the people who gave testimony before the confidential committee but I believe it should be open to everyone who wishes, irrespective of whatever trauma they experienced. …

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing engagement on this. I recognise the very significant welcome that the town of Roscrea has given Ukrainians and international protection applicants. A former convent in Roscrea has been refurbished for Ukrainians fleeing the war. It is for Ukrainians - primarily family groups. It is to be phased in regarding its use with some over the summer, some in the latter part of the year and some in early 2024. We will need the capacity over the summer but any further use of this will depend…

In two days' time, on 23 June, it will be exactly 30 years since former Minister for Justice Máire Geoghegan-Quinn stood where I am standing now and introduced the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 1993. That Bill gave effect to the requirements of the Norris judgment and finally abolished the 19th-century laws, those Victorian laws, that criminalised gay men. Since then, we have since travelled quite a distance regarding how the State values its LGBT+ citizens as equals. I looked at the debates on the passage of…

The Minister of State is going to conclude. He has allowed me one minute to speak. While we have had a very good and productive debate, I cannot remain silent on one remark that was made. Within 20 seconds of his speech beginning, Deputy Danny Healy-Rae explicitly linked LGBT+ and paedophilia. I do not agree with anything Deputies Danny and Michael Healy-Rae said. We can have differences in debates, as we often do, but to explicitly link LGBTI+ people with paedophilia is not only wrong, it is deeply dangerous. It c…