Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Of course, everyone in a local authority now would have had nothing to do with these actions. Ultimately, however, it was not that long ago and it is quite likely that staff could still be in place who were there when these institutions were still open. The last one closed in the early 1990s. It is very likely there still could be an overlap of staff and it is something we must consider.

There was a part of the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes that I remember which detailed a county manager going into one of the county homes and deciding who was going to the Magdalen laundry from the mother and baby home. The involvement of some of the local authorities in the running of those institutions and making those kinds of decisions was more than one might imagine. We need to acknowledge that the events were not that long ago, even in consideration of whether the local authority should be consulted on matters. It is worth looking into the possibility that there would be somebody to liaise between the two parties. It would be only fair given the reality and these events were not that long ago.