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

I know of the Deputy’s interest in the issue of memorialisation and the work she has done locally in Carlow on this. The establishment of a national memorial and records centre is a core commitment within the plan and provides a basis for several other interdependent projects. The national centre will stand as a national memorial in honour of those who were resident in mother and baby homes, county institutions, industrial schools, Magdalene laundries and other related institutions. It will make a significant contribution to our journey of recognising and learning from the failures of the past, acknowledging the hurt which continues to be felt by survivors and seeking to rebuild a relationship of trust with those who have been so gravely wronged.

With the intention of advancing this project as a priority, the Secretary General to the Government has been appointed to lead a cross-Government process to advance work on a national memorial and records centre. This process, which will include engagement with survivors, will develop an overarching vision and proposed approach for the creation of the national centre. Once this initial work is complete, a proposal will be brought to the Government for approval. I have secured funding of €1 million per annum for 2022 and 2023 to support the immediate preparatory work and research needed to deliver this centre.

The national centre will include an archive of records relating to institutional trauma, alongside personal accounts of survivors' lived experiences, as well as presenting the historical and social context. More generally, my Department has already appointed an archivist and established a dedicated information management unit to lead on the preservation and access to our records, including the commission's archive. In addition to the national centre, work is being advanced in conjunction with the local authorities to deliver on the commitment to support local memorialisation across the country. Furthermore, financial support is available from my Department through the commemorative grant scheme to support survivor groups in commemorating their experiences in a manner which fits their own specific needs.

As we have learned from our consultations with survivors, memorialisation is very important to many of them, but it means many different things to different people. In recognition of this, consistent consultation will be facilitated to ensure the process is informed by those most centrally involved with the experiences.

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