Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 December 2019
626. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason for the delay in introducing legislation to allow for the forensic excavation and recovery of the remains at the site of the former Tuam mother and baby home; the timeline for its introduction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52616/19]
View answerThe General Scheme of the "Certain Institutional Burials (Authorised Interventions) Bill" is highly technical because of the issues involved, particularly in relation to identification of the deceased children. While I and my officials have endeavoured to advance this as quickly as possible, it takes time to work through the privacy and data protection implications in particular, and I am very grateful for the patience of the family members and other key stakeholders regarding the time it has taken to develop the legislative proposals.
I hope that we can move swiftly through the pre-legislative scrutiny and drafting processes with a view to bringing the Bill before the Oireachtas during the summer session, with enactment in the autumn session.
