Debate contribution: Clerical Child Abuse

Debate contribution by Mr Stewart Dickson on 27 January 2026.

MLA

Mr Stewart Dickson

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

27 January 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Clerical Child Abuse

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5345458

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank my colleague Paula Bradshaw for moving the motion, and I extend a warm word of thanks to every Member who contributed to today's debate. These are serious and important matters that not only cover a great deal of our history and our past but, sadly, remain in our present. Regrettably and undoubtedly, they will be in our future as well. I particularly thank Gerry Carroll for tabling his amendment, which we fully support, as has been discussed by colleagues in the debate. I also thank each Member who participated in the debate: Linda Dillon, Pam Cameron, Robbie Butler, Sinéad McLaughlin, Carál Ní Chuilín, Nuala McAllister, Timothy Gaston and junior Minister Reilly, who responded on behalf of the Executive Office. I will come to some of her remarks shortly. In making a winding-up speech on the debate, I say that we need to remember why the motion was tabled and what we are asking the Executive Office to do. Throughout the debate, it has been clear that Members across the House have acknowledged the profound seriousness of clerical child abuse and the lasting harm experienced by victims and survivors. There is a broad agreement that what people endured was wrong, that safeguarding failures were systemic and that those who came forward showed immense courage. We welcome that consensus. That has been the view of everyone who has participated in the debate today. The core issue is simple. In July 2025, independent research commissioned by the Executive Office was submitted to the First Minister and deputy First Minister. That research depended on victims and survivors coming forward in good faith, sharing extremely painful experiences and trusting that their voices would be heard. However, many months later, those reports remain unpublished. We heard with concern today that they may never be published but only be taken account of in the next steps of the process. I find that concerning.

That is a very helpful explanation from the junior Minister. Certainly, the Chair and I would very much welcome that briefing at the Executive Office Committee. What needs to follow from that is a very clear timeline on where this is all taking us to in having clarity around a public inquiry. Brave individuals came forward, but, currently, they are in the dark. Good government is measured not by PR releases or the reports that you commission but by what you do with them. People were asked to relive deep trauma, trusting that it would lead to change. To leave them in limbo now is to tell them that their voices matter only up to a point. That is not good enough. Let me be clear: the motion does not seek to rush Ministers or to pre-empt outcomes. The matters are, indeed, complex. However, careful consideration should not mean open-ended delay, particularly as we progress towards the end of the mandate. Seven months on, real leadership, clarity and a real follow-through are required. That is what those people and all of us expect. That is why we tabled today's motion. It asks for three reasonable steps, the first of which is publishing the reports. I appreciate that sensitivity will be required around that, but survivors need to see the findings of their testimonies produced. I can certainly attest to that when it comes to mother-and-baby homes. There are many who wanted to see out in the open what they had said on how they were treated. Secondly, we need to set out a funded and time-bound response to deliver safeguarding and support. Thirdly, we need a clearly stated position on the recommendations for an independent public inquiry. This is about transparency, accountability and respect. It is about showing survivors that, when the Government ask for their testimony, they will not walk away once the resulting report has been submitted. It is about restoring people's confidence that the Assembly can see difficult work through to the end. Good government is measured not only by its commitments but by its outcomes. On an issue involving harm that has lasted a lifetime, and on which trust is nothing but shattered, process without progress is failure. The victims and survivors in that tragic litany of life deserve honesty and, today, action. For those reasons, I urge Members to support the motion.

722 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:22 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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