Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. This is an issue she raises with me on a regular basis, and I thank her for her ongoing engagement. As she said, in response to the final report of the commission of investigation, the Government approved a suite of 22 specific measures. My Department is finalising a high-level action plan for survivors and former residents of mother and baby and county home institutions. I intend to bring this action plan to Government and publish it later this month. Once approved, the action plan will support structured implementation with defined governance and monitoring processes for each of the 22 actions.

At the same time, my Department has been steadily working to develop individual measures to ensure that survivors see tangible results as early as possible. I will outline some of those. It is important to reiterate that there is a dedicated counselling support service available and it continues to be available nationwide for all survivors of these institutions. I have also established a dedicated information management unit within my Department, with a professional archivist to manage the commission's archive of records and support access for individuals to their personal information.

A key element of the Government's response is to develop a scheme to provide financial payments in the form of enhanced medical cards. I tasked an interdepartmental group with developing detailed proposals with a human rights focus, informed by significant consultations and engagement with survivors. I will be bringing costed proposals to Cabinet for proposal on the matter later this month.

As the Deputy knows, we published two substantial items of draft legislation. The birth information and tracing Bill seeks to enshrine in law the right of access to a full and unredacted birth certificate. That Bill is undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny but, as I said to the committee last week, my Department continues to engage with the Attorney General on the issues that are arising and to bring forward early amendments. Separately, I am considering the committee's report on the certain institutional burials Bill. I think we are all in agreement that the children at the site in Tuam deserve an appropriate burial. I am determined to achieve this dignity for them and their families through this Bill.

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