Along with others I would like to see an apology given to the women institutionalised in the Magdalen laundries, and I believe that will come in due course in an appropriate manner. I urge that that would happen, perhaps during the Oireachtas debates a few weeks from now. I would also like to see these women recompensed financially in some way. A redress scheme is appropriate when we consider the billions of euro spent and squandered on this country's banks and the way our citizens, who are the most vulnerable and the most challenged, were treated. Some form of redress scheme would be appropriate to recognise the terrible suffering highlighted in the McAleese report, which I urge all Members to study in the coming days to ensure we can all participate in a full debate in this House which I know the Leader will organise in due course.

Ba mhaith liom aontú leis na Seanadóirí atá tar éis iarraidh ar an Taoiseach leithscéal a ghabháil le mná na neachtlanna Mhaigdiléana tar éis don tuairisc a bheith foilsithe inné.

I also look forward at some stage in the future to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister from the North coming here for a debate in which they could elucidate for Senator O'Neill the difference between the RUC and the PSNI. That the two organisations stood shoulder to shoulder on the death of PSNI officers recently is a testament in itself.

I wish to air my disappointment that the Older and Bolder organisation will cease activities in the middle of this year. I appreciate that the funding for Older and Bolder has come from an outside source but it raises the issue of the state of play in the State regarding community and voluntary sector organisations. We are seeing a decay of those organisations as a result of the impact of austerity on them and on funding and it would be important that we have a debate on those community and voluntary sector organisations. In many cases they have been the voices crying out and organising rallies against the austerity budgets and some of the cuts that have been brought in. It is ironic that some of the more vocal groups are the ones that are going by the wayside at a time when we most need them.

It is ironic also that the Labour Party Senators are complaining this morning about the health budgets, etc., when they did not have much to say when the health budget was being put through the House before Christmas, but that stance will speak for itself.

I agree with the other Senators, including Senator Martin Conway, who said it is a sad day for Ireland but particularly for the women who were incarcerated in those laundries for all those years. Calling for an apology is one thing but Senator Martin Conway was the only Senator who mentioned compensation which is tangible acknowledgement of wrongdoing. In addition to calling for an apology we will have to examine the report.

We are all calling on the State to say "Sorry" but it is not only the State that should say "Sorry". The institutions, the nuns and everyone involved should say "Sorry". As a society we should all say "Sorry". Actions speak louder than words. Words are easy but it is the action taken that is important. A considered debate on this issue in the Seanad, as the Leader has promised, and a follow up will be very important.

I raise the issue of the new junior certificate framework. The first students who will be involved in this will be the intake of September 2014. We have all spoken about the importance of physical education, PE, in schools, and Senator Eamonn Coghlan in particular, for the health of the nation because in the new junior certificate framework PE will now have the diminished status of a short course with a time allocation of just 100 hours over a two to three year period. Currently, only 10% of schools are implementing the minimum recommendation of 120 minutes per week.

The Department of Education and Skills says one thing. Is physical education important or is it not? The Department of Health advises one to get out on one's bicycle. This is false economy. The two Departments must work together because the children's national physical education study states that three out of four Irish adults and four out of five Irish children do not meet the guidelines. The recent report also showed that one in four children was unfit, overweight or obese. Children cannot learn if they are unfit. What does adrenaline do for education? Senator Eamonn Coghlan is tired asking for this to happen. I ask the Ministers for Education and Skills and Health to draw up a coherent policy on physical education and let us have the debate as called for by many Senators. It is going in the opposite direction and we have to change it. It is not too late yet for the 2014 curriculum.