Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 February 2018
601. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the vox pop style document circulated by Galway County Council as part of its consultation process on the burial site at Bon Secours, Tuam; and her views on whether this is an appropriate method of consultation in view of the sensitive nature of the matter. [6815/18]
View answerI have visited the site of the former Tuam home on a number of occasions and I am acutely conscious of the sensitive nature of the decisions which must be progressed. Assisting those most centrally involved to understand the options now open to us was one of the reasons for commissioning the technical report which I published last December.
Galway County Council recently announced details of a structured consultation process with a strong focus around Tuam. I know the Council wants to support all interested parties to have their say as part of this process. To this end the Council sought professional support in the design and approach to the consultation process.
I have been contacted by a number of people in relation to this consultation process and my officials have relayed the feedback received directly to the Council.
I am advised that the process has been developed to facilitate various parties to submit their views on the five courses of action identified by the Expert Technical Group. The process is designed to facilitate maximum participation by all parties while ensuring that there is certainty in relation to the preferred course of action of each respondent.
The guidance for submissions while requesting each respondent to clearly indicate their preferred course of action, importantly also provides an opportunity for the respondent to provide their own comments. The process also allows respondents to indicate their connection to the former Mother & Baby Home, Tuam. In addition to the collation of written submissions, consultation events will be held in Tuam and Dublin. These events, which will be led by Restorative Dialogue Facilitators, will be designed to afford participants the opportunity to provide further input to the consultation process.
The report on the consultation process to be submitted to the Inter-Departmental Group will be prepared by the Restorative Dialogue Facilitators based on the submissions received and the outcomes of the consultation events. This report will be a factual account of the consultation process and will not contain any recommendations. It will be a matter for the Inter-Departmental Group to consider the report and make appropriate recommendations for consideration by Government.
I strongly encourage all interested parties to contribute their views to the process. It is essential that all voices can be heard.
