One area on which the Taoiseach has not been prepared to correct the record relates to the questions that surround the negotiation of the indemnity deed with the religious congregations. Rather than answering questions about why he was prepared to put the taxpayer at risk for an unlimited liability and cap the liability of the religious congregations, he has said he was the first Taoiseach to make an apology and the State was prepared to pay the Bill irrespective of whether the religious ever contributed a penny. The Taoiseach refuses to answer questions about why the Attorney General and his staff were excluded at a critical time. He also refuses to say why the terms of the indemnity were never debated in this House. He further refuses to say why normal Cabinet procedures were not followed. He refuses to say why records were not kept of the critical meetings. In all of these instances, he retreats behind the shelter of saying that he was prepared, in the name of the State, to foot the entire bill for the cost of redress for survivors.

In that event, how does the Taoiseach reconcile his generosity with the decision of the Department of Health and Children to pull the plug on the One in Four organisation? How can the same Government that is so generous-minded and open-handed with taxpayers' money have caused redundancy notices to be issued to the staff of One in Four? How can the Taoiseach reconcile that when his most senior adviser was involved in the setting up of that organisation in Ireland, knew it was necessary, knew that a therapeutic dimension was always at its core and that – because it was reported to him – it was relayed to the principal in that organisation that if he did not behave and not criticise the Government during the collapse of the Laffoy commission by the Government, he was in danger of biting the hand that fed him? What action did the Taoiseach take on that? How does he reconcile the collapse of that organisation with his stated good intentions to fund the entire cost of this neglect by the Catholic Church and State for generations?

Deputy Rabbitte continues to suggest that the issues relating to the religious congregations were not properly dealt with by Government. They came properly before Government. There were many meetings. Comments have been made several times about the meetings which the Attorney General did not attend. I outlined those circumstances, noting that the Minister of the day and the Secretary General of the Department were at those meetings. I noted that the issue came before Government in the draft deal in January 2002 and that it was negotiated over the period and finalised in the summer of 2002. I have given the references and dates on previous occasions and it should not be necessary to go through them all the time.

As regards the One in Four group, since May 2002 the Department of Health and Children has provided funding to all the relevant organisations. The Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, has stated that there should be counselling arrangements and he assisted from the outset in the establishment of those arrangements.

The One in Four organisation was provided with funding of €633,000. Some €208,000 of this was made available to its UK-based operation to deal with calls related to clerical abuse. This year, €425,000 was granted to One in Four in Ireland. The money was paid over before the end of the summer. Some €302,000 of this grant relates to staff salaries, pensions, expenses and training, while the remainder relates to the costs of premises and volunteers. This level of funding was agreed at a meeting on 25 March this year.

As regards counselling costs, information was sought from One in Four regarding the service it intended to provide. The organisation agreed to forward this information but it was never received by the Department of Health and Children. There was never any agreement in place to fund counselling provided by One in Four. It was the subject of negotiations which dated from the meeting of 25 March.

The Department of Health and Children provides counselling for all adults who suffered abuse through the national counselling service. It also provides funding for private counselling for those resident in institutions who do not want to use the State services. I provided those figures in this House recently. Mr. O'Gorman contacted, and had a number of meetings on different issues with, my programme manager. They made contact on 15 September. Deputy Kenny raised this issue earlier. Mr. O'Gorman was critical of the officials of the Department of Health and Children. My programme manager listened to his complaints and discussed the matter with the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin. A meeting was arranged for later this week, as I understand it. That is the position with One in Four. This issue was one aspect of the business of One in Four. Its other services had been funded for the year. The only issue in dispute related to its counselling service.