Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

What we are discussing goes deep into the Irish psyche. The incarceration of girls and women and the forceable removal of their children is something we as a society carry to this day. This generation must undo the wrong done to them and so not pass this loss and trauma to another generation.

We support the introduction of this Bill. There are some good provisions within it. It shows what can be achieved when we work together in pre-legislative scrutiny. My colleagues put a great deal of work into this under the chairmanship of Deputy Funchion. It is really encouraging to see that so much of that work has been taken on board. It is important to acknowledge that.

I listened to the Minister's speech. There is still a bit too much vagueness in regard to the threshold sites will have to meet for thorough investigation, the precise role of the agency director, the distance requirement, the definition of what exactly constitutes a relative and the functions of the coroner. Coroners have a vital role to play in our society, not least when it comes to institutional burial. In north Kildare, we are blessed to have an outstanding coroner in Professor Denis Cusack. His compassion and tenacity when advocating for the people who died during Covid-19 was to be admired. I am concerned that in this Bill there is still a lack of clarity on the division of labour between the director and the coroner. There is equally a lack of clarity on the circumstances in which the director will involve the coroner. The coroner's involvement not being automatic or a given might be problematic not only for the families and relatives but for wider society given the weight and sensitivity and injustice of what is involved, what is being examined and what is supposedly being addressed in this Bill.

Irish children died in these places at a rate higher than in the rest of society. They died of neglect and hunger in their stomachs. They also died of skin hunger, a condition that affects babies who are not held, cuddled or touched. They died from lack of human affection. Hungry in body and soul they were then, in the case of Tuam, abandoned in a septic tank. This Bill must facilitate proper examination of all sites. If it does not, it adds insult to the injury of the death of innocents.

I acknowledge the work that has gone into this Bill and I welcome the Minister's acknowledgement of the work of Catherine Corless.

She has been a voice for those children and other groups. What happened in Tuam is a stain on our national conscience. This Bill is welcome and important.

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