Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following:acknowledges the need to establish the facts regarding the deaths of almost 800 children at the Bon Secours Sisters institution in Tuam, County Galway between 1925 and 1961, including arrangements for the burial of these children;

acknowledges that there is also a need to examine other "mother and baby homes" operational in the State in that era;

recognises the plight of the mothers and children who were in these homes as a consequence of the failure of religious institutions, the State, communities and families to cherish the children of the nation in the way they should have been cherished and cared for;

acknowledges the valuable work undertaken by historians, archivists and others in relation to these issues;

recognises the fact that there is a clear requirement for records, both public and private, to be gathered for all mother and baby homes in the State to assist in establishing the truth regarding these institutions and the treatment of those who were in their care;

believes that this latest shameful episode in Ireland’s painful social history must be fully and accurately documented in order that a comprehensive account of these institutions is available;

notes that as an initial step, a group comprising senior officials across a range of Government Departments has already been established to gather information and report to the Government on the means by which this complex, disturbing and tragic situation can be best addressed; and

agrees that the Government should:

— complete the process of identifying the relevant information and records, public and private, pertaining to mother and baby homes in the State in an urgent and timely manner;

— use the findings of the initial cross-departmental review which is already under way and is to report to the Government no later than 30 June 2014 to inform decisions on the scope, format and terms of reference of a commission of investigation; and

— report back to Dáil Éireann on the establishment of this inquiry, the findings of which should in due course be published before the House rises for the summer recess.

I wish to share time with Deputy Paul J. Connaughton, in whose constituency the Tuam site and building are situate, and Deputy Áine Collins.

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