Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I might say a few words before reading the response from the Minister's office. I thank Deputies Burton, Maureen O'Sullivan, O'Loughlin, Martin Kenny and Wallace. I am sorry if I left anybody out.

We all know about the unbelievable cruelty that happened in this country in the past and is probably still happening in some places and the loss of those children's lives and the loss for the parents of being able to hold their babies and of having their babies taken away from them. As most speakers said, time is running out and it is up to us in government and elsewhere to make sure these people have the answers they deserve before they depart this world. Deputy Wallace's contribution uncovers a story that most of us have sadly seen on television in the past year, where people are united not only with their parents but with siblings they did not know they had. When watching programmes like that, I realise how lucky I was as a child to have the parents I had and to have known them as I did. For many children, sadly, that did not happen. I have taken some notes - I hope I can read my bad writing. I thank the Deputies for their honesty and their in-depth knowledge of what happened and the discovery of the unbelievable records that we have and do not have and about the fact that so many children and mothers are buried in unmarked graves. That is a real darkness that hangs over the country and all of us, as politicians and as members of society. I assure all the speakers that I will bring some of the matters raised back to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, when I have had a chance to read my notes and put them in an email to her.

I will read the prepared statement, but as I have only two minutes, I will not read it all. On behalf of the Government, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has asked me to thank the Deputies who made contributions to the debate this afternoon and previously on 7 February. Unfortunately, she cannot be here, which she regrets.

The Government understands and shares the frustration and disappointment felt at the extension to the commission's timeframe. The commission's work is a key step in our determination to establish, confront and accept the truth about this dark chapter in our recent history. By remaining committed to this statutory investigation and by allowing an additional year for the commission to complete its work, we can achieve the necessary holistic understanding of what went wrong in the country. As a country and a society, we shy away from establishing these deep truths at our peril.

The options facing the Government were either to insist on the timeline and accept incomplete reports next month or allow the important work to be finalised. The Government believed the public interest was best served by facilitating the commission to complete its important work.

However, the Minister sought and received assurances that work which was completed in the meantime would be published. A significant step in that regard will be the publication of a burials report in March. It will give not only more background information on the site in Tuam but also on other sites of former mother and baby homes. It would be wrong to predict or speculate on what the report will state on any particular site, but it is a significant piece of work as we continue towards establishing the truth about that period of our history. The Minister has committed to bringing the report to the Government as soon as possible after it has been received, with a view to publishing it with Government approval.

The terms of reference for the inquiry were rightly ambitious in terms of their scope and timeframe. Nobody thought it would be easy or quick. Let us not forget that the commission is seeking to investigate circumstances and practices which, in some cases, were deliberately hidden and certainly not subject to intensive scrutiny at the time. There are no short cuts to establishing the truth. The Minister has asked the commission to make every effort to deliver its reports as soon as is practicable and in advance of February 2020, if possible. In considering the time required to conclude its reports we must acknowledge the volume and complexity of the work before the commission.

In its report the commission acknowledges the extensive material provided by the Department of Health and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. While the report states the first tranche of discovery was delivered in March 2017, the commission has acknowledged that this is incorrect and that, in fact, the discovery of records commenced in February 2016.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

The delivery consisted of more than 200 files that had been selected by the commission as a matter of priority. The joint discovery process between the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Health is now complete. In respect of the discovery of records from the HSE or any third party to the commission, it is important to state this is not something in which the Minister or her Department has a role. The Minister is, however, satisfied that the commission has all of the necessary legal powers to obtain the records and testimony it needs to inform its investigation.

In response to the recent requests to begin collecting DNA samples of survivors and relatives the Minister has asked Dr. Geoffrey Shannon to examine whether it is possible to meet this request within the current legislative framework. The examination will be carried out in the context of what is scientifically possible. The terms of reference for the examination are available to view on the website of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

Deputies have noted that there was upset among the survivor community as a result of finding out through the media about the commission's request for an extension. For survivors to find out this upsetting news through the media was not what anyone wanted. I have been assured that the information did not issue from the Minister's Department. Communicating with former residents is a key concern of the Minister and the Government.

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