I was contacted by a man called James Sugrue, from Ballybunnion, and I will raise his story with the Tánaiste on his behalf. He and two of his brothers were boarded out at the mercy of the State and abandoned at the county home in Killarney where they suffered a horrendous experience. Mr. Sugrue spoke to An Taoiseach a few months ago and was promised that his case, and the cases of people like him, will be looked at. People who were boarded out were not part of the mother and baby inquiry and were not subject to the Ryan report or the Kennedy review, but the case for recognition and apology to them and for legislation that will, eventually, lead to redress is unanswerable. I ask the Tánaiste to look at this matter to see if he can progress it to redress the great injustice done to Mr. Sugrue and his brothers, one of whom is deceased.

We will look into that matter. I am sorry to hear about Mr. Sugrue's experiences. The mother and baby report has been much maligned but one of the things that really struck me as I read it was how much people who were boarded out during that time suffered, not just those who were boarded out as an exit path from mother and baby institutions but those boarded out for other reasons. Boys were often used as farm labour and girls as domestic servants. They were not cared for or looked after and often did not get their education. This is an issue that the Government cannot ignore. The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, feels the same.