Kathleen Funchion: Raises Survivor Stories, Calls for Redress Changes

Thanks very much and thanks Minister. I am glad that we have the opportunity to raise this again and it is actually helpful to have statements again after Tuesday. I am going to break my contribution into three sections. The first thing I want to do is raise some specific stories that people have brought to my attention since Tuesday. I am always, always surprised by every time that this is raised that there is somebody new that gets in contact and people who felt that they were kind of forgotten about. I actually just want to briefly mention them just so that they know that a tiny section of their story was told on the record of the Dáil. Then I have one or two issues or questions I would like to just put to yourself. I know you are not going to have time to answer them this evening, but that you can just maybe take them on board. So the first one is Jim who is 54 and by his own admission has lived a decent life. He owns his own home and had a good career. His health has been great of late, but he does not let that get him down. He was born into a county home and was immediately boarded out and he desperately wants to know more about his family. He wrote to thank myself and others for standing up for people like him and he describes himself as marginalised. Then there was Mary's mother who was sent to a mother and baby institution in London run by the Sacred Heart Sisters in Cork. After Mary's birth, her mother and her were sent back to Ireland. Mary was sent on to St Patrick's Orphanage to be put up for adoption and she feels she is being ignored. Patrick is a survivor who is actually excluded from the scheme and he wrote just to thank not just myself but others who have raised this issue. And listening to it brought him to tears, the whole situation. Then Michael watched proceedings from America. He was born in Sean Ross and then sent to Temple Hill. He got to meet his mother three and a half years ago and he was heartbroken to learn about the brutal treatment his mother received in Sean Ross. He referred to her as his mother throughout. He said she diligently paid her supposed debt to the nuns and when Michael told her the date he had arrived in America, she looked surprised. He later discovered she continued to pay this debt as it was described for many years after his adoption. And he promised her at their last visit he would never contact her children as he was respecting her wishes in relation to this. Even though he has written to her several times, he thinks now she may have passed away as he has not gotten any response. And he finished his email by saying he was happy. She went on to have a happy life. And he thanked again myself and others for speaking on his and his mother's behalf. The people that do not speak up but silently carry this hidden sadness. And Mark who was treated sadistically by the family he was boarded out to from a mother and baby institution. He won't qualify for the redress scheme. And a lady called Trish who was telling me about her tragic story of forced adoption. She mourns the loss of a relationship with her mother. She mourns the horrific treatment her mother suffered in the mother and baby institution. And the mother qualifies for €5,000 and she herself does not qualify for anything. And she feels the dishonesty and cruelty of the nuns running these institutions on behalf of the state is actually sometimes too confronting to read. And she just thanked us for recognising the trauma. And it is still very real and it is still very much with her. I want to briefly mention a lady that is in a very difficult situation. And I want to actually send the details of this on to you afterwards Minister. She was born in a mother and baby institution. Boarded out to a very abusive family. Was removed and then ended up in an industrial school. She has had serious difficulties and has never been able to maintain employment. So she is on disability. She is on the housing list for 12 and a half years in Cork. 12 and a half years. She is now on an eviction notice from a HAP property. No fault of her own. Just unfortunately as a lot of people are unnoticed to quit. And she is having a very, very difficult time with Cork City Council. And I think anybody who is 12 and a half years on housing list, I think we would all agree. And particularly coming from this situation of so much trauma. And I would ask, we have been obviously raising it and our TDs in the area and councillors. But I am going to actually just ask to send that on to you as well. Given the situation. Minister, the other issues I wanted to raise are the motion was accepted, which was very welcome on Tuesday night. But I am wondering now, does that mean the government are going to make changes? For example, are they going to include all institutions? Are they going to include everybody regardless of the timeframe? And is the enhanced medical card going to be for everybody regardless of timeframe? Or is the government expecting these changes to be made in the pre-ledge process? And then I wanted to ask, and a number of deputies brought it up Tuesday night, about the interim payments. Is that something that could be looked at while the legislation is passing through the House? And I would hope that we will see some changes before it actually comes to the committee for pre-legislation. Because, you know, we felt that you accepted our motion in good faith. And it was very much appreciated. And we would hope that some of those changes would actually be made now. But if you have an opportunity maybe to come back on some of those points later, it would be appreciated. Thanks. Thanks. You