Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 42:

In page 22, line 4, after “chairperson” to insert “with expertise in transitional justice”.

This amendment adds a requirement that the chairperson have expertise in transitional justice. A person with knowledge of transitional justice should be placed to chair the board and deal with the complexities that arise. Given the general lack of reference to transitional justice in the Bill, this would be a minor measure to help address that deficiency.

Amendment No. 43 seeks to remove the requirement for a member of staff of the relevant local authority to be on the board. This is an extraordinarily insensitive requirement. In many cases, including that of Tuam, local authorities were involved in the running of these institutions. The Bill provides for these bodies to now have a role on the advisory board. It is especially inconsiderate that a former resident of an institution will be forced to work with a representative of a body involved in his or her incarceration and possible abuse. The same goes for the relative of a person buried on a site.

Amendment No. 50 is not mine but I welcome it because it reflects the committee's discussions of, and recommendation for, the inclusion of a multidisciplinary approach to ensure excavations and recoveries are dealt with in line with best practice.