Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2015
157. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in relation to the terms of reference for the new investigation into the mother and baby homes, the reason for an exclusion of the Magdalen laundries and adoptions involving State hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2002/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI announced the proposed Terms of Reference for the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters last week. In developing the Terms of Reference due regard has been given to the emphasis on “Mother and Baby Homes” in the motion approved by Dáil Eireann on the 11th June 2014 and the investigation will examine a wide agenda of matters in relation to these homes. I believe the Terms of Reference reflect the range of matters that we were asked to consider by this House, and by those most centrally affected by the issues, and are a fair and balanced response to the many requests for related issues to be included. In particular, the investigation will thoroughly examine the experience of the many mothers and children who were resident in a Mother and Baby Home over the period 1922-1998.
Clear criteria have been used to define and identify Mother and Baby Homes for the purposes of this investigation. These include having the main function of providing sheltered and supervised ante- and post-natal facilities to single mothers and their children, including both board and lodgings; and an ethos which those running the institutions considered to promote a regime of work, training or education as part of an overall approach to either rehabilitating single mothers, or to give them training for living independently. On the basis of the available information it would not be appropriate to consider the types institutions raised by the Deputy as Mother and Baby Homes, as they did not provide this specific range of services. However, the Terms of Reference ask the Commission to examine the extent to which institutions which had a clear relationship with Mother and Baby Homes were part of the entry or exit pathways for single mothers and children into or leaving these Homes. It is certainly open to the Commission to give consideration to the types of institutions raised by the Deputy in this context. The issues to be examined by the social history module also explicitly cite the Magdalen Laundries in this regard.
The proposed arrangements also ensure that the Commission has sufficient opportunity to bring any additional matter which it considers may warrant investigation to my attention.
