Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her submission. Fianna Fáil welcomed the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation when it was established. We recognise the vital importance of the commission in delivering justice and accountability for all those affected by mother and baby homes in Ireland.

The third interim report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation makes a request to extend the deadline for its reports on its findings on the institutions being investigated. This would change the deadline to February 2019. It should be noted that this represents the third extension of the deadlines for these reports. While we appreciate that the commission is undertaking a complex and somewhat unpredictable task, Fianna Fáil is of the view that the commission must complete its work as quickly as possible as it is an important mode of investigation and recognition for the experiences of Irish women and their children in these homes. All three reports should be issued together.

We have always supported this commission as a means to bring justice to the victims of the homes and we remain supportive of it. Fianna Fáil welcomes the publication of the third interim report. While I would like us to be at the final stage now, we will stick with the process because we want to see it through. It is 12 months since I stood before the Minister on this matter and I believed we would be coming to the end of the process today. We will try, however, to reach the end as quickly as possible.

Given the UN comments about the current terms of reference being too narrow and feedback from survivor groups, we are supportive of these terms being expanded, as the Minister has outlined. Furthermore, Fianna Fáil supports the establishment of a forum for survivors to share their experiences and viewpoints in an open and safe environment.

The treatment of mother and children in these institutions is a dark chapter in our country's history and it is a complex issue. Questions still abound about the nature of justice and retribution for survivors and we must be thorough in our search for the best possible model of justice for survivors.

Now, as always in this process, we believe it must remain survivor focused. While I cannot critique the Minister's speech, I believe it is survivor focused.

I welcome the formation of the forum. I welcome the panel and the fact that survivors of the homes can engage in the process and have representation. I welcome the fact the forum will have human rights people.

The Minister referred in her speech to Galway. As spokesperson for children and youth affairs and coming from the constituency of Galway East, which includes Tuam, it would be very remiss of me not to focus a little on the experiences on the ground in Tuam. I spoke earlier this evening to Tommy, about whom I spoke this time last year, to receive an update on how he feels the process is progressing. He urged me yet again to stay with the process. He thanked the Minister for the work taking place. He had a number of concerns over Galway County Council, which the Minister has adequately addressed. While I do not mean to be critical, I wish to ask some questions that need to be teased out a little more.

There is a lack of clarity at present on the role of Galway County Council in respect of some voting that was taking place. The Minister explained it may have to do with the panels or selection criteria but those with whom I have been communicating do not know the exact role the council will play in the future. Will it spearhead the process or will an independent person do so for it, drill down deep and engage? That is one of the issues Tommy wanted addressed. I can understand that. Would the Minister believe people started to fill in the questionnaires only on Sunday night? It is in light of the fact that we are here on a Tuesday evening that the engagement was at that level.

The interim report states there is one institution for which records are probably not available and one whose records may be available but which are difficult to extract from a larger collection. Does the Minister know exactly the mother and baby homes on which there are missing data and whose records are hard to find?

It is clear there is extensive information available about certain aspects of the institution under investigation and that it will take some time to analyse it. Will the Minister indicate whether we have enough staff working on that and will they meet the deadline within the next 12 months? From what I can gather there is an awful lot of material to be scanned and examined. Are the staff adequately resourced to complete the work?

There is no doubt that this is a very human and live issue. People watching this debate wish to bring closure to this sensitive issue which is probably very raw for many people. The opportunity to come forward, engage and talk to people about their experience is in itself part of the healing process and that is something to be welcomed. The Minister also announced it last year. The kernel of the process that people can tell their experiences and share their stories. It is important that experts are available to sit down and engage with the people who come forward and that their voices are listened to and they feel their contribution is a valuable one, because that is the case. They are the people who will open the curtains on what was a very dark part of our past. We owe it to those people to afford them the opportunity to speak. Time is not on their side. If necessary, we must recruit more staff or provide more supports to ensure that in 12 months' time we will be able to provide a conclusion for them or that we will have reached the stage of having the three reports ready to be viewed.

A commitment was made to the survivors of the mother and baby home in Tuam that they would be notified prior to any press release on the home being issued by Galway County Council. It is important that they be made aware of what is going on so that they do not read about it first in the Tuam Heraldor The Connacht Tribune. It is important that such courtesy be shown to the survivors so that they are made aware in advance of what is being printed. If nothing else, it is a sign of respect for the survivors. I accept the Department has been working very closely with the survivors but it is also incumbent on Galway County Council to engage with those people.

In terms of the ongoing technical engagement, people welcome all the hard work that has been done. The issue is very sensitive and there are varying viewpoints but it is important that we have complete engagement from the residents of the mother and baby homes, those who worked there or those who lived in the area. I plead with people who have anything to contribute to providing a fuller picture to come forward and engage with the process the Minister has initiated. I wish the group well for the next 12 months and hope we will have a final report this time next year.

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