Following publication of the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation, I listened to the disappointment of some survivors when the Report of the Confidential Committee did not live up to their expectations. This included the concerns expressed directly to me by members of the Collaborative Forum in relation to the treatment of survivor testimony. Although care was taken in the design of the Confidential Committee component to try and allow the truth as survivors wanted it told to emerge, I recognise that this has not happened for many of them. I acknowledge the deep hurt which this has caused.
I had previously indicated the possibility of a review of the testimony offered to the Confidential Committee. Having considered the matter, and recognising the independent analysis subsequently submitted to me by the Special Rapporteur as part of his annual report, I believe that a new initiative to support survivors in telling their personal account provides the best opportunity for responding to their call to be heard in their own words. In developing this initiative, I am mindful of the continuing influence of the legal framework provided by the Oireachtas to facilitate and direct the Commission’s work, and the value of providing a new opportunity to survivors who may wish to share their lived experiences.
My Department is currently working on proposals for this new process. In developing this new initiative my officials are consulting with relevant legal and technical experts and, most importantly, will consult with survivors. Specific proposals will be brought to Government for approval this year.
It is intended that the initiative will focus on respectful recording and acknowledgement of lived experiences rather than being inquisitorial in approach. The scheme will be underpinned by statute and operate on a voluntary basis, with personal accounts received and utilised with the consent of participants. It will be overseen by a team with expertise in human rights, trauma and memory, communications and oral history.
As this new approach will not be limited to those who participated in the Confidential Committee element of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, it can provide a voluntary opportunity for all survivors who may wish to have their personal experience acknowledged as part of the national record. Those who previously recounted their experiences to the Confidential Committee will have the option of permitting the reuse of this testimony and/or offering new or additional oral or written testimony.
These personal accounts or “lived experiences” will be housed in the National Centre for Research and Remembrance, which received Government approval on 29 March this year, and stand for posterity. While I have not spoken directly with the Collaborative Forum about the initial scoping work, I can assure the Deputy that survivors will be consulted in the course of developing this important initiative.
