Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I asked the Department to explain the consultation process and officials stated that various survivors' groups had indicated they wanted to organise face-to-face consultation. They also indicated the Department fully supported that approach. The witnesses are the experts in this field but I know it is not their job to figure out how face-to-face consultation should take place. In light of their experience, how should it take place? According to the Department, face-to-face consultation will take place and the phone line service will feed into the consultation. How will the consultation look in terms of driving it forward?

The Department says an independent expert will run the consultation. Should this be done through the survivor groups? The face-to-face consultations will have to take place in the UK as well. Do the witnesses have an idea of how the Department should organise these in order that the committee, in its report, can outline how the consultation should take place? We can ask for face-to-face consultation but should we propose holding a number of meetings here and in the UK? Should the Department go ahead and try to organise them, or should it do so on the basis of individual survivor groups given that one group will not cover all survivors? How do we cater to all the survivors? How do the witnesses envisage those meetings being carried out?