I support my colleague Senator Naughton in her call for a statement from the Minister for Justice and Equality with regard to the bodies of babies found in Tuam and other locations. There is great human suffering and misery to be addressed and I urge the Minister not to rush the statement. The information has been made available to her quite recently so we need a comprehensive statement dealing with this in its entirety and dealing with what the Government proposes.

I assure Senator Terry Leyden that everything possible is being done to secure the release of Ibrahim Halawa, the Irish teenager who has been in prison in Egypt since August. On Thursday, the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, of which I am a member, met his family members to discuss the issue. The family expressed its gratitude for the wonderful support it receives from the Irish Embassy and for the frequency of visits made to their son. The family urged us to keep the pressure on the Egyptian Government to have him released as a matter of urgency. The Tánaiste has taken the matter very seriously.

It is timely that the Taoiseach is in Silicon Valley for three days, focused on securing investment and jobs for Ireland and supporting Irish firms and entrepreneurs. He will visit the headquarters of many of the major multinationals located here. That comes on the back of additional good news published in a recent Red C survey showing that conditions are improving for SMEs. Some 74% of respondents say they have improved turnover or that it has stabilised, and 23%, a significant number, will be adding employees this year. The situation is improving and I wish the Taoiseach every success in his significant trade mission to Silicon Valley.

I join Senator Naughton in calling for debate on the horrific discovery in Tuam. These children were not afforded the slightest bit of dignity or common decency and, even in death, they were still regarded as unclean. Their 800 bodies were discarded in unmarked graves. They were innocent infants, their only crime being that they were born of unmarried mothers, in most cases after a crisis pregnancy. I wonder how many more cases will be unearthed around the country. The issue must be discussed with the utmost gravity and seriousness in the House.

I was speaking to a friend of mine during the week and she revealed to me that, 18 years ago, she found herself in a crisis pregnancy. She was going to go to one of those mother and child homes to give her child up for adoption but, thankfully, her family got behind her and she received the support she needed. Her child is now sitting the leaving certificate. I extend my best wishes to all students sitting the leaving certificate. The issue is wider and is one I touched on before. I read a compelling review of a book, Stolen Lives by Bette Brown, in yesterday's Irish Examiner. It outlines the institutional abuse I spoke about previously in the House. I was castigated for describing it as being like a concentration camp. The phrase comes from one of the survivors in this book.

Des Murray, who described Artane as a concentration camp, said he was singled out by two brothers, two sadists, and his biggest regret was that he did not kill those two bastards. The psychological scars that have been left on thousands-----

Have you a question for the Leader, Senator?

-----of survivors, families and on our national psyche as a whole-----

Have you a question for the Leader?

The only crime of these people was to be born of unmarried mothers and taken away. I have a question. Some months ago the House extended a kind invitation to Pope Francis to come and address us. If he is going to come I will welcome him with open arms. I am certainly not anti-clerical or anti-church but I am anti-cover-up.

Have you a question for the Leader, Senator?

I am anti-deception. If he is going to come I would stress to him to come and certainly bring his cheque book with him such that we can, with the Office of Public Works and the Department of Education and Skills-----

Senator, that has nothing to do with the Order of Business. Senator Landy, please.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs should take this into account. A decent proper memorial should be given finally to the survivors of institutional abuse.