Four survivors of residential abuse on hunger strike outside the Dáil have said they "won't budge" and will continue their protest until their contributory pension and medical card demands are met.
Group member Maurice Patton O'Connell, from Cahersiveen in Co Kerry, outlined the protesters' views to RTÉ News today, saying: "We're not stopping, we've come too far now."
The four on hunger strike have been protesting outside Leinster House for 11 days in a bid to see their requests met for State support in response to what happened to them in industrial and reformatory schools.
Specifically, the group wants individuals to be awarded a Health Amendment Act (HAA) card and a State contributory pension in response to what happened to them in their childhood and the consequences of this to their lives.
During the latest Leaders' Questions debate yesterday, Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said while he understands the concerns there are no plans to meet the demands, and urged the protesters to end the hunger strike and engage with officials.
However, asked for the group's response, Maurice Patton O'Connell told RTÉ News: "We will engage with Government, but we're not coming off the hunger strike. This has been going on too long, 26 years, we're not stopping now. We've come too far now.
"Eleven days sleeping out. We won't budge."
Earlier, the minister told Independent TD and presidential candidate Catherine Connolly and People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger that he wants the individuals to end the hunger strike.
The minister told Deputy Connolly that "I am very concerned at what I've seen recently" and that "individuals have gone to such extreme concerns".
He said Department of Education and Youth officials have met with the group, which has also spoken recently with Minister for Education Helen McEntee.
However, he said there are, at this stage, no plans for the HAA medical card and State contributory pension demands to be met and instead urged the protesters to end their hunger strike and to engage with officials.
"I would urge the individuals who are on hunger strike to come off it, and recognise they can have engagements with Government."
In response, Ms Connolly said "for 11 days now four people have felt they have had no choice other than to go on hunger strike", saying she is "extremely worried for those women and men".
Describing the protesters as "courageous people", she added: "Nobody in your Government met them until Monday, I understand.
"There's a mean-spirited approach from Government and the previous government in relation to redress for people who have been in institutions."
In a later interaction, Ms Coppinger also called for Government to meet the protesters' demands, with the minister again outlining the coalition's current view that it would like the hunger strike to end and for the protesters to engage with officials.
The protest, which began outside the Dáil almost two weeks ago, was also raised by Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry Michael Cahill last week.
