Labour Criticises Magdalene Response

By Harry McGee
Irish Times
February 7, 2013

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2013/0207/1224329746675.html

Labour backbench TDs and Senators have laid down a strong warning to the Government over its response to the Magdalene laundries report, contending that the issue of a full formal apology now needs to be addressed.

At yesterday's parliamentary party meeting, and in a series of interviews, a succession of Labour Party backbenchers and Ministers criticised the initial response of the Government to Senator Martin McAleese's report, which found the State was responsible for a quarter of all admissions to the laundries since 1922.

They told party leader and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore to re-engage urgently with the Taoiseach.

In a statement issued on behalf of the parliamentary party, the party's TDs and Senators all but demanded a full apology and a form of redress scheme.

However, at the Fine Gael parliamentary meeting yesterday, only a handful of TDs criticised the manner in which Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the Government had handled its response.

The meeting agreed with the strategy outlined by the Taoiseach that two weeks was needed to put a "process in place so that we can help these women reach closure".

Mr Kenny also indicated a scheme might be put in place to compensate former residents of the institutions.