Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. The Tuam home operated from the 1920s until its closure in 1961. During that time there was a memorable phrase in my town of which one constituent continues to remind me, that there was "a deliberate unknowing" of what was going on there and in other institutions at the time.

One of the aims of understanding the past is to better understand how to approach the future. I am sure the Minister would share my concerns about families being evicted today in Dublin and children as young as three and four being holed up in a hotel. There are children in the care of the HSE who go missing. We need to be concerned about the welfare of children in direct provision under the auspices of the State. There are many examples on which we could focus given the dark warnings of history presented to the House this week.

It is evident that the public is very concerned about the reports emerging about the home in Tuam. They are outraged by the different sides of the story being presented. While I welcome the steps announced to proceed with a preliminary scoping of facts, the public will not be codded. I know the Minister is not that type of politician. We cannot fall victim to a territorial dispute between Departments. What authority does the Minister have to bring them together? Has he contacted the Garda Síochána in respect of any potential criminal investigation of this matter?

What measures has the Garda Síochána taken to secure the site in question since the announcement was made this morning and to ensure that all records from the home have been secured and that the site is secured, as we speak? If no such actions have been taken with respect to the last two points, can we expect that they will take place immediately? Has the Government been in contact with the Garda Síochána since the announcement that was made during Leaders' Questions this morning?

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