Mr. David Dodd:

I thank Senator Fitzpatrick very much; I am grateful to her for that. The pressing problem for the survivors in Bessborough, certainly those I represent, is the idea that the apartment block will go on top of the children's burial ground. Any commission that gets seven or eight of ten things right has done well. If a commission gets nine out of ten things right, it has done exceptionally well. Commissions do not get everything right. When it comes to the location of the children's burial ground, we believe the commission did not get it right. We have a good and rational reason for that, namely, that Ordnance Survey Ireland holds a map, which is available for inspection, that identifies that Mr. O'Rourke was out there in 1949. He wrote down "Children's Burial Ground" in very deliberate writing and that went on to the printed maps, which are around in libraries. To get that wording on to the printed map, the nuns had to sign off on the location.

We invited the commission to ask OSI to inspect the map but, unfortunately, in the time allowed, it did not do so. From our perspective, there are 900 children missing and there is a document from 1949 by an expert at the State's mapping agency pointing to the location of the children's burial ground. That is really compelling evidence unless one is saying that he got it wrong, which he did not. Everything else on the map is absolutely perfect. For us, therefore, the location is known.

On the question of compulsory purchase, we are in favour of the developer developing the lands. Houses are good for people. However, building should not take place where the children's burial ground is located. There are ways and means by which both things can be accommodated. We are not against development necessarily. One can memorialise the burial ground in an appropriate and respectful way. It is not brain science. One ring-fences it so that animals do not get on it, one puts up an appropriate memorial and one allows the relatives reasonable visitation rights. That is what we all get for our deceased and it is what the ladies of Bessborough want for their deceased, nothing more and nothing less. I hope that answers the questions from Senator Fitzpatrick and Deputy Cairns.