Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is an interim report. Obviously, it has major implications. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs set out the views of the Cabinet and Government on the report yesterday. The Government is conscious that the commission has made no findings to date regarding abuse or neglect and believes it would not be appropriate to deal with the questions of redress in advance of any conclusions that will be reached by the commission. In addition, the redress scheme that was there was complex to administer and often difficult for applicants. The Comptroller and Auditor reported recently on the 2002 residential institutions redress scheme and highlighted the cost to the State, the diminution in the value of the offers made by the congregations, the need for evaluations and lessons learned. The focus will now be on assisting those who were unaccompanied as children in the mother and baby homes with a view to offering very meaningful supports that will be of genuine and practical value to them. The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs will consult with representatives further about this. We want to do this in a way whereby the State will help and support these people - through the provision of appropriate services - in respect of this aspect of their lives. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs is working with Tusla to support the provision of information to assist former residents who may wish to establish when they resided in a mother and baby home. This might involve very painstaking work on a matter that is obviously very personal for some people who want to find out where their mother was or who she was. Dr. James Gallen from Dublin City University has been asked to assist in the design of a model of transitional justice as a means of giving voice to former residents of mother and baby homes and county homes. The Minister will carry out a scoping review of the commission's existing terms of reference to see if amending them would enhance the existing work and help to resolve related questions.

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