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

I refer to a newspaper report from The Irish Timesdated 11 January 1940 that contains a criticism of the care of children born to unmarried parents by Dr. W. B. F. Collis. I will quote from the article and I ask Members' forgiveness with respect to the use of some archaic terms. The article outlines Dr. Collis's observation that "as for the illegitimate babies, over 300 per 1,000 died before they reached the age of one year, and many more afterwards." When he was asked the reason so many illegitimate children died, he replied that it was the attitude towards them. He said he believed their deaths arose from neglect and that there was no such thing as an illegitimate child, but that there were illegitimate parents.

It is striking that the mortality rates, forced adoptions, forced labour and the mechanics of shame were largely in the open. Society shamed women and children into homes. Society's shame ensured the existence of these dark events in our past. It involved the unsayable and the unthinkable but not the unknown, because it was known. These homes have to be seen in the broader context of this country's fondness for confining large numbers of our population in various institutions, including the mother and baby homes, industrial schools, Magdalen laundries and mental health facilities. I am told that at some point in our history, more people were locked up as a proportion of our population than in the Soviet Union. As a society, we must face up to our own past with respect to institutions.

In respect of Tuam, we know that almost 800 children died in the mother and baby home - a mortality rate that was far higher than the prevailing national infant mortality rate. We know that their deaths were recorded but the circumstances of their burial were not recorded. We know that some, if not all, of the bodies were buried in unmarked graves in or near the site of the home.

There are some skeletal remains in a tank. It is reported that this is most likely a septic tank or a crypt which lies on a local authority estate on the Dublin Road, Tuam. This is a high mortality rate and this burial practice raises alarm for the community I represent. The Tuam home, however, is not unusual in comparison to other homes, as the Minister alluded to in his earlier statement. There are many questions we need to have answered about such homes, including the Bethany Home, which are mentioned in the motion. The State, the church and society combined to shame these women and their children. They sought to separate them from the so-called respectable society to punish them for actions which were not crimes under statute. These women violated the most harsh and unforgiving social codes that existed at the time and this resulted in this form of treatment for the most vulnerable people. The State and the church combined and engaged in forced adoptions, aspects of which continue to echo in our laws by our refusal to permit those who are peppered across the world to access their information, which rests on files. This long history of forced adoption in the country needs to be faced up to and we need to examine amending the law where necessary.

Worse still, those who were not adopted were often sent as virtual salves into communities to work on farms or in businesses owned by so-called respectable people in society. I met a number of former residents over the past number of days. They are entering old age, as the Minister said, and they have a living history that needs to be recounted and recorded. I also met others who were not adopted or farmed out but were sent to the infamous industrial schools. A number of them endured physical, mental and sexual torture at the hands of the organisation responsible for the running of Letterfrack industrial school.

Clinical vaccine trials were carried out on children in mother and baby homes. What did the State know at the time? This information is not new. We have known for more than a decade about these trials but we need to know the extent of this practice and the State's complicity in it. Who signed off on them in the Department of Health? Were medical officers in charge of the trials in Tuam and other mother and baby homes? Will the inquiry establish facts around this and assign blame and responsibility to institutions, groups and individuals? I look forward to co-operating with the Minister in that respect.

Tuam is the current focus for this story. A State initiative is needed to establish fact in respect to what is emerging about the absence of a formal burial location for almost 800 missing bodies. The matter is causing considerable distress to many families that suspect that their relatives are buried there. It is also causing significant distress for people living in the area. I have been contacted by a number of them and their distress has been intensified by an accumulation of speculation and rumour. I call on the Minister to move quickly to establish a proper investigation of the site. If only one body is discovered, almost 800 children will still be unaccounted for. Even if all the bodies are found buried in a neat row with obvious care, it will still mean the mortality rate was in excess of the national rate at the time. The site in Tuam should be property secured, as should all the records connected with it. It should be ensured all homes co-operate with the provision of files. The grave concern around this is the historical aspect of generating a picture with respect to the data, files and ledgers that existed.

The mention of malnourishment being listed as a cause of death is worrying and requires investigation, as does the function and management of the dying rooms. What are they? Who was monitoring them on behalf of the State and of the church? Has the church been spoken to regarding its willingness to co-operate with the provision of records? Who provided oversight at the time on behalf of the State and the church? Were any concerns noted at the time? If so, what actions were taken? Who was negligent? Most important, the finances of the home need to be investigated. Where did the money paid over by the civil authorities to those operating the homes go to? Who benefited from these resources? Are accounts available to the Minister with respect to the conduct of an investigation to establish fact?

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