Written answers

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Department of Health

Departmental Records

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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681. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which records maintained by the former Department of Local Government and Public Health from 1924 to 1947 are in the possession of his Department since its establishment in 1947; if these records contain information relating to payments made by the State to religious institutions in return for those institutions taking individuals deemed in need of institutional care such as that provided by mother and baby homes, Magdalene Laundries, children's and orphans homes and related institutions; if he will undertake to determine the fullest extent to which these records exist; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32414/14]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Records of the Department of Health are held on a Central Records and File Tracking System (CRAFTS). The system, which includes two databases, allows the Department to record and actively track the title and whereabouts of all files of the Department. These include records transferred to it from the Department of Local Government and Public Health on the establishment of the Department of Health in 1947. Other records relating to the functional areas of the health service would have transferred from local authorities to the health boards in 1971 and subsequently to the Health Service Executive in 2005.

The Department's CRAFTS Active database contains all files that are currently in use and held in the relevant section within my Department, while the Inactive and National Archives database lists all other files, including departmental files stored in a secure off site facility or in the National Archives. Department files that have been transferred to the National Archives cease to be part of the holdings of the Department although they can be recalled on a temporary basis on request. The Inactive and National Archives database has a listing of over 230,000 files, 18,000 of which are deposited in the National Archives.

The AIRR (Access to Institutional and Related Records) Project began in 2004. Its purpose was to examine the Department’s child care files, find any references to the names of children who were in care and to create an index containing those names. The purpose of the index was to facilitate efficient and thorough searches and retrieval of records on behalf of individuals seeking their own personal information in the context of Freedom of Information legislation, Court Orders of Discovery and applications to the Residential Institutions Redress Board.

The Project involved the indexing of all papers held by the Department relating to child care services, some of which contain information referring to individual children who were in care. The personal information references have been indexed onto a specialised ‘names index’ along with other relevant information.

The Inter-Departmental Committee to establish the facts of State Involvement with the Magdalen Laundries considered the routes of entry to the Magdalen Laundries, including from Mother and Baby Homes, and my Department and the HSE conducted searches of retained records for any relevant information. All relevant information and records discovered in this context were passed in full to the Inter-Departmental Committee's Secretariat.

Government recently agreed to establish a Commission of Investigation to investigate mother and baby homes. Yesterday, my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, published the report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Mother and Baby Homes, which was established in early June, to assist the Government in scoping the necessary examination of this important issue. Submissions on the terms of reference for the Commission from over 120 groups and individuals have also been received by that Department and a number of meetings have been held with groups. Collectively, these inputs and consultations will assist the Government in finalising proposals for the Commission’s establishment. Any further detailed searches of the extensive records throughout the period referred to by the Deputy will be guided by the Commission.

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