Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I want to notify people that we are back in broadcast mode again. I understand that we lost it for part of the proceedings. For anybody who lost part of the broadcast, it will be put up on the website for everybody to watch. We appear to be back live again so apologies for any loss of broadcast in the intervening period.

As Acting Chairman, I will take a few minutes to acknowledge all of the correspondence before us today and the compelling testimony the witnesses have given. As I have stated in the earlier sessions, this is about ensuring that we, as members of this committee, broaden our perspective so that we try to make the best legislation possible. We cannot do that without hearing from persons such as the witnesses.

Regarding Bessborough, I am proud to be from Cork but what is happening in Bessborough at the moment is very disturbing for any decent Cork person. We all want a process that ensures there is memorialisation but that we do not fall foul of the coronial process where remains are found because that is a long-established process and it is based on legislation. We need to find some compromise in the legislation between the two views around that and that will be a challenge for us; I say that honestly and openly. I ask Mr. Dodd about the balance of arguments as between memorialising the entirety of the site and the responsibilities that exist in respect of adhering to the coronial process in circumstances where remains are found. I ask whether the creation of an agency in such circumstances could undermine any process as to natural justice for the persons who may be buried in Bessborough based on the balance of probability and Mr. Parfrey's submission. How do we strike a balance between memorialising the entirety of the site and the need to ensure that the coronial process where remains are discovered is not compromised?