Magdalen laundries commitments
Deputy Gannon pressed for unfinished commitments from the State apology to Magdalen survivors, especially memorialisation and HAA cards. The Tánaiste pointed to a planned national repository and said survivors already receive an enhanced medical card.
Given the events that took place in the Chamber yesterday, today might be a good day to highlight promises in previous State apologies that are as yet unfulfilled. I refer in particular to the apology to survivors of Magdalen laundries in 2013 and the recommendations from Mr. Justice Quirke's commission that have yet to be implemented. Previously, I raised recommendation 6 relating to memorialisation, but today I wish to highlight recommendation 1, which relates to full medical cards under the Health (Amendment) Act 1996 - HAA cards - that have yet to be delivered to the survivors of Magdalen laundries. I and many other activists, who have worked on this for longer than I have, suggest that the HAA medical card should be given to all survivors of Ireland's institutional past. What is the Tánaiste's opinion on that? Elizabeth Coppin has taken a case to the UN Committee Against Torture, such is the gravity of the situation. I will be interested to hear the Tánaiste's thoughts.
Comment on this
First, with regard to memorialisation, the Government has taken a decision to develop a national repository for all archives relating to institutions, and I know the Deputy welcomes that. There are different suggestions as to where it should be located but we intend to press ahead with it, not just so people can have access to records but also in order that the records can be studied. We and other countries can learn from that.
With regard to survivors of the Magdalen institutions, they have received an enhanced medical card from the Government. It is not the standard medical card, it is a better one. It is true it is not the same as the HAA card, but there were certain issues with that. One is particularly related to hepatitis. Hepatitis obviously gives rise to a set of needs that are different from the health needs former Magdalen residents would have. Sadly, there were a number of instances where that card was misused and abused in the context of treatments that are not recognised. There were certain issues with that, and the Department of Health can give the Deputy more information on it, but there are good reasons that we did not go ahead with that.