TAOISEACH Enda Kenny
is expected to issue a more thorough apology to Magdalene Laundries
survivors, but will resist pressure to do so, senior
government sources say.
Both Mr Kenny and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore will meet groups of survivors next week, and Fianna Fail has tabled a Dail motion calling on Mr Kenny to apologise.
However,
the Government is expected to hold its own Dail debate on the issue at a
later date, and this is seen as the likeliest platform for Mr Kenny to
apologise.
Survivors groups also say the purpose of their meeting
with the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste is to persuade Mr Kenny to apologise
on behalf of the State.
A senior coalition source last night
said: "I have no doubt the Taoiseach will apologise, but he will not
apologise on a Fianna Fail motion."
Compensation
However,
it is understood any apology will have to be carefully worded, since Dr
Martin McAleese's report found only a quarter of women were sent to the
laundries by state institutions, and some spent just a few days in the
laundries.
Mr Kenny has already said the Government will need at least two weeks to consider Dr McAleese's report.
The Government will also be anxious to ensure the apology does not open the State up to widespread compensation actions.
Katherine
O'Donnell of the Justice for Magdalenes advocacy group said an
expectation Mr Kenny would apologise the week after the meeting was not
good enough.
"Why not now?" she asked. "We want an apology that
says the State did wrong by you but in the absence of that I'm not sure
many would want a meeting."
Steven O'Riordan of Magdalene
Survivors Together said the apology must include women from the Stanhope
Street and Summerhill centres in Dublin, which were not included in Dr
McAleese's report because they were classified as training centres by
the religious orders.