Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 March 2022
64. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will detail progress to date in meeting the commitments set out in the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15309/22]
View answerOn 16 November 2021, my Department published an Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The Action Plan is a high-level framework to drive, monitor and report on implementation of the 22 wide-ranging measures announced by Government in responding to the needs and concerns of those who spent time in these institutions.
Each action identifies key strategic milestones and related timelines. Of the 22 actions, 6 have already been completed while another 13 are currently in progress. Work is ongoing in all thematic areas to advance measures in accordance with the published Action Plan. My Department and other state authorities are working to ensure survivors see tangible results as early as possible.
In addition to an annual progress report, to be laid before the Houses, my Department will prepare quarterly progress updates. The first of these updates was published in February on my Department's website. It was also issued directly to every person who provided their contact information to my Department's dedicated mailing list.
The following are some examples of our progress to date.
Firstly, dedicated professional counselling support continues to be available nationwide with services being prioritised for survivors.
A centre-piece of the Government’s response is the development of a scheme to provide financial payments and a form of enhanced medical card. On 16th November 2021, the Government approved proposals for a Scheme to be known as the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. The legislation required to establish the Scheme is currently being developed as a matter of priority, with a view to opening the Scheme for applications in 2022.
My Department has also published two substantial pieces of draft legislation this year.
The Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022 was published on 12 January and has just passed Committee Stage in Dáil Éireann. This legislation will provide a full and clear right of access to birth certificates, birth and early life information for all persons who were adopted, boarded out, the subject of an illegal birth registration or who otherwise have questions in relation to their origins.
The Institutional Burials Bill 2022 was published on 22 February. The Bill passed Second Stage in the Dáil on 3 March. The children in Tuam deserve an appropriate burial and I am determined to deliver legislation which achieves this dignity for them and their families and provides a clear legal basis should such intervention be necessary at other locations.
I established a dedicated Information Management Unit, with a professional archivist, to manage the Commission’s archive of records and provide access for individuals to their personal information. So far, we have received 562 Subject Access Requests for information from the archive, and we have issued replies to 480 of these requests, with the remainder in progress.
On 10 March 2022, the Minister for Health signed the new Data Protection Act 2018 (Access Modifications) (Health) Regulations 2022. The Regulations have a positive impact as it will no longer be mandatory in all cases to consult the individual’s health practitioner before releasing their health data to them. My Department is reviewing all Subject Access Request responses and working to provide health data to individuals as quickly as possible.
On the theme of Education and Research, my Department is funding a new Postgraduate Scholarship in Childhood Disadvantage in memory of all the children who died in Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. In conjunction with the Irish Research Council, I hope to be able to announce details of the first research projects to be funded in the coming weeks.
My colleague, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, is developing central guidance to assist local authorities in facilitating local memorialisation in line with the wishes of survivors. In addition, he is in the final stages of preparing a circular which will issue to all planning authorities advising on the approach they should take to protecting possible burial sites in their area from potentially harmful development.
I am aware of the urgency and sensitivity of this work and it is an absolute priority for myself and the Government.
