The State apology given by the Taoiseach today to those who suffered abuse in industrial and reformatory schools, while welcome, will be meaningless if the government fails to honour its commitment to provide additional supports for survivors, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cummins, who is the party\u2019s education spokesperson, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is shameful that it took a 51-day hunger strike by four survivors of industrial and reformatory schools to extract today\u2019s formal apology from the government. This is the very least that survivors of systematic institutional abuse deserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the latest in a succession of State apologies for the grievous historic wrongs perpetrated on some of the most vulnerable members of society, including those who experienced horrific abuse in religious institutions, the Magdalene Laundries and mother and baby homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is only right that those who spent time in industrial and reformatory schools should receive a similar apology. However, it is completely unacceptable that these four individuals \u2013 who had already suffered so much at the hands of the State \u2013 should have to take such drastic action to highlight their campaign. Serious questions remain as to why they were pushed to the point of near-death before a resolution could be reached with the government.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the government eventually agreed to meet survivors\u2019 reasonable demands for health, housing and financial supports, most of these commitments have yet to be honoured.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s State apology, while welcome, is just one element of what was promised to those on hunger strike. The Taoiseach\u2019s words, however well-intentioned and sincere, will be meaningless unless all outstanding issues are addressed without further delay.\u201d<\/p>\n
February 25, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The State apology given by the Taoiseach today to those who suffered abuse in industrial and reformatory schools, while welcome, will be meaningless if the government fails to honour its commitment to provide additional supports for survivors, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins, who is the party\u2019s education spokesperson, said: \u201cIt is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218,801,581,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-industrial-schools","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n