Overview
- Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris delivered unequivocal apologies on behalf of the State to people abused in industrial and reformatory schools.
- The Taoiseach extended the apology to those who were boarded out from institutions, acknowledging abuse and neglect in those placements.
- Survivors Mary Donovan, Mary Dunlevy Greene, Miriam Moriarty Owens, and Maurice Patton O’Connell attended the Dáil session after a protest last year that lasted over 50 days outside Leinster House.
- The Government outlined additional measures now being put in place, including dedicated health liaison officers, improved access to counselling and physiotherapy, and extra funding for education grants under the 2025 Act.
- Members of the Irish Thalidomide Association are meeting the Taoiseach and Tánaiste later today seeking a State apology and resolution of outstanding issues.