LABOUR TD KENNY STATES ISSUE OF MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES IS FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT THE WOMEN WHO WERE KEPT IN THEM

Posted on September 26, 2012 7:54 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Last year, I welcomed the Inter-departmental Committee of Inquiry and I was pleased to learn that all government departments and their records will be considered available to the Committee's work. I also welcomed the fact that Minister Shatter assured the Justice For Magdalenes campaign that the development of a narrative of State interaction with the Magdalene Laundries would consider acts of omission on the part of the State, in particular the State's failure to inspect and regulate and thereby prevent abuse in the laundries.

The Committee produced an interim progress report within three months of its establishment in October, 2011. Along with a number of committee meetings, there were meetings with the religious congregations who ran the institutions, relevant academics, and representative groups of the women who resided there. The Committee reported that extensive searches of all state records had commenced with results being reported on a regular basis. Relevant Departments and State Offices not represented on the Committee have also been contacted with a view to checks being conducted on their records.

The report had acknowledged the difficulty in identifying and tracing records going back over 90 years and commended Departments for their co-operation and effort made. The Committee acknowledged the co-operation of the religious orders who have given them their full assistance and co-operation. The Committee also acknowledged the constructive engagement with the relevant advocacy and representative groups. They met with Justice for Magdalenes, the Irish Women Survivors Support Network (UK), and the Magdalene Survivors Group

The Committee had pointed out the complexity of their task which required the tracing and examination of a large volume of records across a wide range of sources and covering a period of some 90 years. While Senator McAleese hoped to conclude the work of the committee by mid-2012, he had said this may have to be adjusted depending on the volume of records uncovered and the availability of resources including personnel.

A significant level of information and documentation has already been identified by the Committee and drafting of the final report has, I understand, begun. However, relevant records continue to be identified and the Committee continues to receive new submissions from representative and advocacy groups. Indeed, a submission in excess of over 100 pages was only recently received from one such group on 15 August, 2012.

Senator McAleese has advised that the Committee intends to produce its final report as soon as possible but at the latest before the end of the year. He has explained that information is still being identified which has the capacity to add to the overall outcome of the Committee's work in a meaningful way, and the Committee feels that it would be improper to conclude without examining this additional material.

The State, including the Government and individual deputies like myself have to remember that the issue of the Magdalene Laundries is fundamentally about the women who spent time in the institutions. It is also about their children. Many survivors are aging and elderly. Some women feel that both Church and State have pursued a policy of denial until absolutely necessary.

All the indications are that the report of the Inter-Departmental Committee will put us in a position to have a meaningful debate on the issues raised by the different groups representing those who have been in Magdalene laundries. I agree fully with the view of Government that to pre-empt the report of the Committee by either making decisions or assertions of fact, is not the correct course of action to take. We have been told that we will have the report as soon as possible and certainly before the end of year which is only a matter of months away at this stage. The only reasonable course of action is to await that report.