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

This is my third time to stand here as the Minister seeks an extension regarding the commission of investigation. On the two turns before this I was favourable to, approving of and co-operative with the request. Today, I am disappointed. The Minister will understand why I am disappointed to see yet another extension to the commission of investigation timelines. That is particularly the case for the survivors and the families affected by what happened in the mother and baby homes and who have been awaiting this report for years at this stage.

Only the other night, the "Prime Time" programme covered this issue from Tuam. Three gentlemen, Peter, Pat and Tommy, spoke up. I spoke about Tommy in this House before. His final comments on that programme referred to the survivors getting old. He hoped this issue was not being dragged out so that no one would be left to talk about it or fight for the survivors. That is how he sees it, which is unfortunate because that is not the intention of the commission of investigation. I have no doubt the commission and the Minister want to get to the bottom of this matter. It is, however, unfortunate that we are going into another year of waiting.

We need to get some answers and to see where this process is going. The "Prime Time" programme the other night brought up many questions I have brought up in this House before. I look forward to getting answers to those questions and I feel those answers will feed into the commission of investigation. I am referring, in particular, to the role of Galway County Council in all of this. I want to know in particular what its role was as it started building houses in the 1970s when the council knew about the sites prior to that. The maps have become available.

Tommy told the story previously about how, after five years and two months, he was very lucky to be "sponsored". That was the word used. He also spoke about later in his life getting the price of a bike when he turned 18. The price of that bike came from Galway County Council. I know, therefore, that there are many records and much information there. I need to know exactly how many other people got the price of a bike. How many other families got that allowance for caring for those people? That will tie up much of the information needed. I need to know serious co-operation is taking place between Galway County Council and the commission of investigation. The survivors would also like to know co-operation is happening.

I also want to know about the role of the coroner in all of this. What information was available to the coroners, what have they shared and how have they engaged? That is a major piece of this jigsaw but nobody is talking about the role of the coroner in respect of the death certificates. We have spoken of birth certificates but death certificates have not been mentioned. I am sure all of the deaths had to be recorded somewhere, at whatever age those deaths might have taken place, be it adults or children. The role of the coroners links back in again to Galway County Council. The council has a major role to play in this investigation. It is the silent body with no statements whatsoever coming out.

I am cross about the council in this regard. The reason is that when I speak of the Pats, the Tommys, the Peters or whoever and when I go to Galway County Council to seek some form of housing adaptation grants for those people I know have been through the mother and baby homes, I can get very little co-operation. This issue has been raised previously. There should be some streamlining of the system in order that I can help some of the former residents of the mother and baby homes when they need adaptation grants. Some of those people have disabilities yet they are being long-fingered. That is wrong. Certain comforts are required for these people. I am referring to day-to-day practicalities. They are not within the remit of the Minister's Department but they are within the remit of local government.

There should be some form of co-operation on that issue while we are awaiting the results of the commission of investigation. I think the final report of the commission is going to be quite damning from the point of view of Galway County Council. I want to see that report and I want to see it soon. Age is not on the side of the survivors. That is wrong. I refer to Peter, who wants to know the story and is going through the High Court now to find the link with his sister. We are denying that man the opportunity to have knowledge of his family. We are forcing him down the road of the courts. That is not right.

The people of Tuam are not proud, by any manner or means, that this is being dragged out for so long. They would like this issue brought to a conclusion. Burials and excavation works are now going to take place. All of that is taking place, however, in a vacuum. We do not know what has fed into it in respect of the commission of investigation. I implore the Minister, and the people she has commissioned to do this work, to please stick to the timelines on this extension. It is essential that we do not have to look for even another hour of an extension. The targets set out by the Minister today in the interim report should be followed through. I state that because I have last year's statement concerning this process running from 2018 into 2019. Now we have it running from 2019 into 2020. That is not good enough. It cannot happen again.

In her report, the Minister also stated the cost would be €21.5 million. One of the initial reports referred to €6 million to €12 million and now the cost has gone to €21.5 million. I can understand an expansion but in respect of the costings we need to keep things in line and within targets. We also need to know exactly where we are spending that money. I do not mind spending it because these people need answers. That is not what this is about. Let us, however, meet our targets and give these people a definite answer.

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