Sinn Féin President, Mary Lou McDonald TD, has called on Taoiseach Míchéal Martin to use political input to get the Brandon Report published.
The Brandon Report contains the details of 108 occurrences of sexually inappropriate behaviour, which impacted 18 victims, at Ard Gréine Court in Stranorlar, Donegal. The alleged abuse was carried out on intellectually disabled adults by another resident given the pseudonym “Brandon” in the report.
Speaking in the Dáil, Teachta McDonald said: “In response to my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, two weeks ago, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, stated unequivocally that the families of the victims of abuse at Ard Gréine Court in Stranorlar, County Donegal, deserve to get the full truth and to see the full Brandon report; not an executive summary or an extended executive summary but the full report.”
The government is currently ‘pressing’ to publish the report, but publication has been blocked by gardaí, who have asked the HSE not to publish the detailed executive summary until they complete their investigations.
“There is an urgent effort to get it published,” Simon Coveney TD said in mid-November.
Teachta McDonald said those who are blocking the report – the HSE and gardaí – are ” the two State agencies responsible for protecting victims in the first place.”
She added: “I share the view of Deputy Doherty and the Minister, Deputy Coveney, that political input is needed to ensure that the unvarnished truth is published.
“This needs to be transparent. I ask the Taoiseach to ensure that there is urgency and that the victims’ families have full sight of this report.”
