Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1177. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he is aware that the State forensic investigators are to acquire advanced new technology to allow them to identify relatives of children buried at Tuam Mother and Baby Home; and if he will allow relatives as distant as half nieces and nephews and cousins to be matched to remains; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16071/23]
View answerI am aware that Forensic Science Ireland is acquiring new technology which can be used to support an identification programme in the context of an intervention at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam under the Institutional Burials Act.
Last October the Government made an Order to direct an intervention at the site. The making of the Order followed on from Resolutions in the Dáil and Seanad in September approving the draft Order that was agreed by Government in July.
The recruitment campaign for a Director to lead the intervention was launched by the Public Appointments Service last November and is almost concluded. I hope to very shortly be in a position to appoint and announce the successful candidate. In line with the Government Order, the functions of the Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam will include carrying out a DNA identification programme
The legislation provides that participants in an identification programme must satisfy the Director that they are eligible family members. The Act defines an eligible family member as a person who has reasonable grounds to believe that he/she is a child, parent, sibling, half-sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew (whether of the whole blood or the half-blood), grandniece or grandnephew of the person who is buried at an intervention site.
In developing the legislation I significantly expanded the list of family members who can participate in a DNA Identification Programme from that set out in the original General Scheme. The published Act takes full account of recommendations put forward during the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Process and also reflects a further expansion that I made during the legislative process in line with advice from Forensic Science Ireland.
