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Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 May 2018

Tuesday, 1 May 2018

Ceisteanna (24)

Anne Rabbitte

Ceist:

24. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to outline the status of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes; if she is satisfied with its progress; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19098/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)

Will the Minister outline the status of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes? Is she satisfied with its progress? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

I thank the Deputy for her question. I know she is interested in and supportive of the work of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.

I am keen to provide a status update on the commission. It is important to reiterate that the commission is an independent statutory investigation. It was established by the Oireachtas in 2015 to examine the experiences of vulnerable women and children in mother and baby homes during the period 1922 to 1998. It is due to report in February next year. This work is a vital step on the path we have commenced down to establish the facts and what happened in and around these homes as well as to give true meaning to the values that define us as a people and a country.

The commission continues to make progress under the leadership of Judge Yvonne Murphy, Dr. William Duncan and Professor Mary Daly.

It has prepared three interim reports to date, in July 2016, September 2016 and September 2018, and I have published all three reports.

As we know, the commission also confirmed the tragic discovery of juvenile remains interred on the site of the former home in Tuam. I am continuing to work with Galway County Council and relevant Departments to ensure appropriate decisions are taken regarding the future of the site.

I know all Members are agreed on our collective desire to respect the dignity and memory of the children who lost their lives. The experts have advised us on what is possible. A public consultation on these options has recently concluded and I expect to bring proposals to Government in the near future.

The commission is now more than three years into its programme of work. At its request, I extended its timeline for reporting to February 2019. I appreciate that many former residents were frustrated by the necessity for the 12-month extension of time even though they recognise the complexity and breadth of the task.

There are simply no shortcuts to truth and accountability. I am satisfied the commission will effectively use the additional time to listen to the personal experiences of many more former residents and ensure crucial questions can be fully addressed.

We as a party were very supportive when the Minister set up the independent commission of investigation and when she sought the various time extensions for it to report. As she said, one of its findings was the site in Tuam and the number of remains found there. It is a very complex issue. It is important also that the Minister acknowledged that the persons who were part of the mother and baby homes are very frustrated at this stage. They are looking for answers and for direction. What are the Minister's intentions regarding the treatment of the remains found at Tuam, or has she got any indications from the independent expert review group as to what their findings are or what are they indicating to her? The commission is three years into its programme of work and the people who were part of the mother and baby homes in Tuam are looking for some hope and assurance that the issue is being addressed. While they believe they have the Minister's ear, and I have said that at all times, they want to hear what is coming back from the experts.

There are two ways to respond to that. More generally, in terms of the mother and baby homes and the time that work is taking, I have described - as I am aware the Deputy has also - great empathy for the waiting that the people are experiencing. In that context. I believe the Deputy is aware that I have taken a number of other actions to engage with the primary stakeholders and particularly, most recently, moving towards the establishment of a collaborative forum of 20 representatives, stakeholders, who will come together and take a look at key issues that they are concerned about and make recommendations to me while we await the report of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes due in February of next year.

Second, regarding Tuam, as the Deputy will be aware, the consultation process has concluded. The results of that are being discussed by an interdepartmental working group this week. In addition to that, the special rapporteur, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, provided me recently with a report on the human rights implications in terms of the issues particularly for families regarding what happened in Tuam. I believe the Deputy and other Members are aware - it was in the public domain - of a questioning of some of the conclusions of the expert group that I put together in order to offer options to the people to consider in their consultation in terms of technologies that can be used for determining DNA identification. I then asked my expert group to take a look at the submission presented to Galway County Council in terms of the consultation process by other experts in the field and they have come back to me recently with their views on that matter as well. A number of items are coming into me and I hope, as quickly as I can, to go to Government with recommendations on the basis of that work. As I said, an interdepartmental working group is meeting this week in order to examine those issues.

I thank the Minister for her answer. She has outlined the complexity of what is involved and the various groupings with which she has to liaise. I and the people involved are very interested in the human rights aspect of this and the scope of the work that the special rapporteur on child protection has done on that. They would also be very interested to hear exactly how the engagement with Galway County Council is progressing. I have discussed with the Minister in the past that those involved believed there were various roadblocks along the way. They would be interested to hear about the human rights aspect of this and how the role of the coroner and that of Galway County Council in this work is progressing. Those are the obstacles that they as a grouping have found difficult. They look to the Minister to relay what are her findings. It would be helpful if she could indicate a timeframe for this. Does she plan to have this at Cabinet before we break at the end of the summer session?

Regarding the Deputy's last question, that is absolutely and certainly my intention and I am pushing matters as quickly as I can.

With respect to the work of Galway County Council and the consultation it conducted using a variety of methodologies, I am aware there were criticisms about that as well, but it utilised a number of methodologies in order to get back from the people, as best it could, what different stakeholders felt regarding the options presented by the expert group. That report has only come to me recently and as I indicated that has gone to my interdepartmental working group. They are meeting this week on that.

The Deputy asked questions regarding the report that Dr. Shannon has submitted to us. It was mentioned in the expert working group's report that they said they could not cover some of the human rights implications regarding the right to a proper burial, the right of families to have the identity of the remains and all those different issues that Dr. Shannon has considered in a very technical manner in terms of international law or EU law etc. and we are considering that now. With all those different items coming in, including the final report from Galway County Council, I am trying to push and move this as quickly as possible. I am aware of the concerns with respect to the stakeholders getting that as soon as possible.

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