IRELAND
Irish Examiner
Monday, April 10, 2017
By Conall Ó Fátharta
Irish Examiner Reporter
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and her department have been accused of misleading the UN by claiming the McAleese report made “no finding” in relation to State liability with regard to Magdalene Laundries.
Ms Fitzgerald told the Dáil in February that a State apology was issued to the women who worked in Magdalene Laundries despite the fact that there was “no finding in the McAleese Report which indicated that the State had any liability in the matter”.
This was also stated in Geneva at a hearing of the UN Convention of Equality Against Women by a Department of Justice representative.
However, the McAleese report states categorically that over one-quarter of all referrals to Magdalene Laundries were facilitated by the State.
In the State apology offered by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the women in 2013, he also explicitly acknowledged the State’s “direct involvement” in the Magdalene Laundry system.
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