Victor Boyhan urges support for boarded-out elders
Victor Boyhan spoke in the Senate about boarded-out children who are now elderly, urging immediate practical supports rather than waiting for new legislation. He called on colleagues and ministers to put in place enhanced medical cards, pension top-ups and housing supports for those illegally farmed out as labourers.
Immediate appeal to colleagues
He told the Senate he will raise the redress debate again and warned the formal process is being wound down. He appealed directly to the minister and the Leader and said many contributions on this issue may be the last for some of his colleagues.
Calls for practical supports rather than new laws
He argued that many elderly men and women were illegally farmed out as labourers without paperwork and remain vulnerable and seeking identity and belonging. He urged practical measures now - enhanced medical cards, top-up pensions and housing supports - stressing that not every solution requires primary legislation.
Case cited from Galway
He recounted a recent case in Galway of a man who sought redress, had met Boyhan previously at Galan's Hotel in Ballisloe, and who sadly died before any acknowledgement or resolution. The man’s daughter contacted him weeks ago, reinforcing the urgency of action for living claimants.
Action through parliamentary contacts
He appealed to legislators to use their party and government contacts to create a support mechanism for these people in their final, vulnerable years. He framed the appeal as a humanitarian duty by colleagues in the House rather than a call solely for legislative change.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
I'd like to raise yet again in the Senate the issue of the boarded-out children, now men, elderly men and elderly women. I have discussed it many times in this House. Sadly, I have to report that only very recently in Galway, a man that had been a visitor here on many occasions, who had sought some sort of redress, some sort of acknowledgement, unfortunately never got that and passed away. His daughter contacted me two or three weeks ago. I had last met them in Galan's Hotel in Ballisloe and talked them through, and we thought we had made a breakthrough. But what I want to say, Minister, tomorrow, Leader, we will be talking about the redress, and that's a different thing. And for many of us, it'll be our last time speaking at these House, because it's now been wound down. Karen, who has been wound down, I have a lot to say, and I'll say that tomorrow. But what isn't covered in any of this debate, and won't be covered in this debate tomorrow, is the fact that many men and women were illegally farmed out as labourers in housekeeping and in farm labour work, illegally, with no proper paperwork, no nothing, men and still alive, elderly, vulnerable, craving to know where they came from, where they belonged. And I think we need to support them. And we don't need legislation for everything, but we do need enhanced medical cards. We do need supports. We need top-up pension and housing, whatever their particular sets of needs are. Let's not get hung up in these houses all the time about having primary legislation. And let's just do the basic human thing, to be kind and supportive in any way we can. And my appeal is not to the legislators. It's to us here, we as legislators, rather than the legislature, is that we use our contacts within our own political parties, and particularly to the government side, and say can we put in place a support mechanism for these people in their last years, in their vulnerable years, that are deserving of our support.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
