Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Galway woman Catherine Corless, whose tireless and painstaking work uncovered that 796 children had died in the Bon Secours mother and baby institution. I will not call it a home. She identified that there were death certificates but no burial records. The manner in which children's remains were discarded at this site was absolutely outrageous, and but for the work of Catherine Corless, we would probably not even know about it. She shone a light into the darkest part of our history and forced us to confront the legacy of 100 years of conservative Governments that abrogated their responsibility to the churches and left children at the mercy of people who did not have those children’s best interests at heart.

The Bill will provide a statutory basis and framework to allow for interventions at sites such as that in Tuam, where inappropriate burials took place. At long last, the children interred at the Tuam site and other sites can have a dignified and respectful burial. While the Government's efforts to finally address this issue are to be welcomed, they fall short in a number of areas. There are some concerns about the threshold that sites will have to meet in order to be thoroughly investigated. Further clarity is needed on the role and function of the agency and director, the new 20 m distance requirement and the definition of what constitutes a relative. The definition of eligible family members must include all family relatives. The role of the coroner is unclear and further distinctions are required between the roles of the coroner and the director. It is clear our current coronial laws are inadequate to deal with the scope and nature of burial sites at former mother and baby institutions.

The legislation, as drafted, may adequately address the specific circumstances of the Tuam site, but there are serious reservations as to whether it will sufficiently address those of other sites. These too deserve to be thoroughly investigated. I recently read Dr. Marie Cassidy's book, in which she writes about her work excavating mass graves in the former Yugoslavia. We may require international assistance given the possible scale of burials throughout the country.

Finally, on the issues of memorials and their funding, Kildare County Council unanimously passed a motion last year proposing to erect a memorial at St. Mary's cemetery, Athy, to remember all those who had died in the so-called county home. The Government should fund these memorials. The people of Kildare do not begrudge the money, but Kildare County Council is poorly funded and it is time to do the right thing.

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