Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Bethany Home is one of the institutions included within the terms of reference of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. This particular institution was one of the first identified for inclusion when the scope of the investigation was being decided. Decisions on the issues to be investigated by the commission were informed by the serious concerns about the care and welfare of children in the institution.

As I have outlined in response to an earlier question, the final reports of the commission are expected within the next ten months. It is important to note the independent commission of investigation has to date made no findings about abuse or neglect in any of the homes within its terms of reference. In these circumstances, it is not possible for the Government to put in place a redress scheme for matters within the scope of this investigation prior to the commission submitting its findings and conclusions.

In the interim, the Government has agreed to consider the health and well-being needs of former residents. The establishment of a collaborative forum is a progressive approach to assist former residents to prioritise areas of concern for them and their families.

Given the issue of mother and baby homes has not been central to any previous inquiry, the commission must be given the opportunity to advance its investigation and to establish the facts of what happened in and around these institutions.

When the Ryan report was published in 2009 there were a number of calls for the residential institutions redress scheme to be extended to include additional institutions, including the Bethany Home. The then Government decided not to extend the scheme and it has been closed to new applicants since 2011. This decision has been reviewed on a number of occasions by previous Governments and most recently following the publication of the commission of investigation’s second interim report last year. The Government again concluded it was not possible to reopen the scheme.

The challenges for Government in considering such matters at an interim stage of a commission’s work were further highlighted in the special report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the residential institutions redress scheme.

As I previously indicated, when the final reports of the commission are available, the Government will listen to and respond to the full account of the commission’s conclusions and the matters regarding the treatment of former residents.

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