Dáil debates

Tuesday, 1 July 2014

Other Questions

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

4:05 pm

Photo of Maureen O'SullivanMaureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's statement that the inclusion of Magdalen laundries in the terms of reference of the commission of inquiry is under consideration. People who have taken oral testimonies from some of the ladies in the Magdalen laundries did say that babies were born and nursed at the Magdalen laundry in Sean MacDermott Street in Dublin. The biennial reports that were found in the Department of Health archives contained information relating to 26 children in the mother and baby home in Tuam between 1953 and 1958 for whom the whereabouts of parents was listed as a Magdalen laundry. It was stated also that the children were "maintained" in Tuam by both Galway and Mayo county councils. It was still policy in 1933 that unmarried mothers who had given birth a second time would also be transferred to a Magdalen laundry. A quote from the interdepartmental committee report- the McAleese report - shows that it was inadequate.

As the HSE was unable to provide the names and other relevant details ... before the publication date of this Report ... [consequently] it was not possible for the Committee to track these cases in the records of the Religious Congregations ... or to determine what became of the women after their referral to a Magdalen Laundry.
There are gaps in what has happened to date and that is the reason I would urge that the laundries would be included.

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