Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I regret that I was unable to attend earlier to listen to previous contributions. Deputy Farrell addressed this issue. I had an opportunity to make a statement when we commenced the debate during which I spoke about my feelings on this issue and identified some of the actions I have taken in response to the horrific findings in respect of the mother and baby home in Tuam and, more generally, the issues that continue to be raised in the context of the work of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby homes.

I will address a few of the points that Deputies raised during the sittings and add to them. Before I do, though, I listened to Deputy Gino Kenny. I acknowledge his mother's story and will reflect on it. In light of those experiences, it must mean much to her that the Deputy is able to be here today and raise the issue not only on his own behalf, but on behalf of his mother and many other Magdalen laundry heroes, to use the language of my colleague. I acknowledge the Deputy's comments about the event on 5 and 6 June. I am generally in favour of, and have spoken at length about, the importance of memorialising the mother and baby homes, which extends to other settings, including the Magdalen laundries. I will discuss the issues the Deputy raised with me with my colleagues.

I acknowledge that people have died since the commission was established and started its important and independent work as well as since my own Ministry started. I feel those deaths, as all of us do. I grieve for them. I am resolved that we will continue doing what we can to respond to the concerns and issues of survivors, heroes or residents of mother and baby homes.

Deputy Buckley expressed a number of stories from his own experiences. I hope that they will be shared with the commission's confidential committee, as it is out of such bearing witness that we will be provided with the best possible assessment of what happened across the board and, therefore, what we as a State have a responsibility to do. From the beginning of my Ministry, and particularly in light of my work with the people of Tuam, I have offered my personal apology for the horrific stories that I have heard from those who were residents in the homes. We know that the commission's findings will be painful. Both as a society and as a group of parliamentarians who want to ensure that justice is done, we need to listen to the full account of the commission's conclusion.

I appreciate the issues that have been raised today and previously about the delay in the turn-around, and not just because people have died. It is taking too long. For that reason and to the extent that I had the power to do so in my Ministry, I initiated a number of additional processes to complement the commission's work. Included in that is another form of facilitation in the form of a collaborative forum, whereby we are pulling together the representatives of people who have been in mother and baby homes and examining various issues. One of the issues that I want the forum to examine first and reach a consensus on is whether people require health and well-being supports and, if so, to make a recommendation to me on what can be done as soon as possible, perhaps even before the findings of the commission. This is one way of responding to some of the delay.

I could say many more things on this subject and I tried to outline a number of them in my opening remarks. Since we are approaching the one-year anniversary of the Tuam findings, I will say that the consultation process is under way and is based on the work of the technical group that I established to determine what options would be possible. There will be a public meeting in Tuam this month. Subsequent to that and the analysis of other forms of consultation, recommendations on what the stakeholders wish to happen will come to me. I hope that we can make decisions on those within the near future.

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