Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the announcement by the Minister of a forensic excavation of the burial site at the former mother and baby home in Tuam. I acknowledge the work of and offer thanks to Catherine Corless and the families and loved ones of those believed buried at the site. I thank the campaigners and activists who kept this issue at the top of the agenda.

This is a very important decision. These institutions are a very dark and shameful part of our State's history. The hurt inflicted on women and children is beyond measure. Addressing these historic wrongs is of great importance. It is important to the victims and those who believe their loved ones may be buried at the site. It is also important for our younger generation who are rightly shocked that this went on in recent times in their country. It is important that those generations see that the relatives and campaigners are not abandoned by the State and that the State is willing to recognise the wrongs of the past and go some way to addressing them.

I hope that as well as bringing the truth to individual families this decision will help reveal a broader truth about how the system operated here for far too long. The State has an obligation to investigate the cause of death of those buried at Tuam and to ensure that their bodies are returned to their families for burial. Many of the relatives of those buried at Tuam are rightly concerned by the likelihood that some of the remains may never be identified. I welcome the statement yesterday of the Taoiseach that DNA analysis and forensic examination will be used to try to individually identify the remains and arrange for their respectful reburial.

A separate scoping exercise is under way into illegal adoptions. I have spoken to many people who were illegally adopted but had absolutely now idea that was so. We must recognise that there are likely to be people who were born in Tuam and illegally adopted and have no idea that a relative of theirs may be buried at the site. That must be addressed.

On the burial site, the Government must do all it can to ensure that whatever resources are necessary are made available to respectfully recover and identify the remains. The Minister made the point that new legislation will be needed to provide specific lawful authority for the proposed course of action and announced the establishment of a small cross-departmental team to advance this priority task. That is particularly welcome given that this is a unique situation. In some cases, the excavation of such sites takes place after armed conflict. I ask that the House be kept informed of the progress of the legislation. It is to be hoped that it will pass swiftly through the House. I hope it will not be the case that nothing can be done until the legislation is passed. Will it be necessary to fast track the legislation? How can we ensure progress on this issue? I ask the Minister to outline whether she believes work will begin on the site as soon as possible.

In the past few days the religious order which ran the mother and baby home in Tuam, the Bon Secours Sisters, announced that it will contribute €2.5 million towards the cost of the excavation. We do not know how much the project will cost, but reportedly it may cost €12 million or far more. If that is the case, the cost of the excavation should be shared. The €2.5 million offered will not come anywhere near covering even half the cost of this necessary and important work.

The mother and baby home in Tuam is not an isolated case. For decades, women and children were treated appallingly in similar institutions across this island. Many relatives and campaigners have been very upset by the delay in the report of the commission of investigation into other sites. It is due in February and many people across the island and further afield are hoping that similar progress will be made at other suspected burial sites. We must ensure that Tuam is the beginning of a process and that similar steps are taken to investigate, locate and recover remains at other sites in a timely manner. Obviously, nothing can undo the tremendous hurt and wrong inflicted on those who suffered in these institutions. The State and religious orders must do all they can to ensure that at the very least those who died in these homes are afforded dignity in death and that, insofar as possible, the loved ones of those who died are given the answers they seek and find some form of closure.

It is important that survivors and families are informed of announcements before they are made in the media. Some of the families and campaigners were upset when news about the Tuam announcement was reported on radio and online before they had been informed. Regular updates on the progress at the site should be provided to the families and loved ones involved. Members of this House should also be updated. All present are aware of the enormous public interest in this matter. I hope the Minister will ensure that will be done.

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