Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 17, inclusive, together.

Prior to the consideration by the Government of the final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, certain information with regard to matters in the report was disclosed in a newspaper report. In that context, I requested that an investigation be carried out. This investigation is being done in the context of a broader consideration of the arrangements in place for the management of documents for Government meetings as this bears directly on the protection of their confidentiality. The investigation is being undertaken by a senior official in my Department and the process is ongoing.

The House will be aware that in January 2021, I apologised on behalf of the Government to those who spent time in a mother and baby home or county home. The Government published a comprehensive action plan for survivors and former residents of mother and baby and county home institutions in November 2021 and we are very clearly focused on advancing the action plan. The 22 actions set out in the plan have been arranged into central themes, which have emerged as fundamental in how the Government responds. Those themes are a survivor-centred approach; a formal State apology; access to personal information; enduring archive and database development; education and research; memorialisation; restorative recognition and dignified burial. Detailed and sustained engagement with survivors and their families has been central to the development of each of these actions and very significant progress has been made in giving effect to them.

The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 was signed into law on 30 June. This provides for a full and clear right of access to birth certificates, birth and early-life information for all persons who were adopted, boarded out, the subject of an illegal birth registration or who otherwise have questions with regard to their origins. On 1 July, the provisions of the Act to establish the contact preference register and give effect to statutory public information campaign were commenced, which paves the way for the release of birth and early-life information from October 2022.

The Institutional Burials Bill 2022, which provided a legal basis for recovery and identification of those who died in residential institutions and were buried in a manifestly inappropriate manner, has passed both Houses and is with the President for his signature. Subject to that, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, plans to commence it immediately and seek the Government's approval to make an order for an intervention at the site of the former mother and baby home in Tuam.

As part of the supports available to survivors and former residents of mother and baby and county home institutions, the HSE national counselling service is available for individuals who feel they need this support. Those who identify themselves as former residents of the institutions will be prioritised for the service. The HSE also operates a dedicated freephone information line for former residents of mother and baby and county home institutions. The Department of Health, in partnership with the HSE, is currently working on establishing a patient advocacy liaison service for all survivors and former residents of mother and baby and county home institutions. A business case for this initiative has been developed by the HSE and has been approved by the Department of Health.

The general scheme of a mother and baby institutions payment scheme Bill was published on 29 March. It is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny and, in parallel, is the subject of priority drafting by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. This legislation will provide financial payments and an enhanced medical card to defined groups, in acknowledgement of suffering they experienced. An implementation group has been established to oversee preparations for the scheme and project planning work is under way.

On 29 March, the Government approved proposals for a national centre for research and remembrance. The centre will stand as a site of conscience and will be a national memorial to honour, equally, all those who were resident in mother and baby homes, industrial schools, reformatories, Magdalen laundries and related institutions. The centre will be located on the site of the former Magdalen laundry on Seán McDermott Street in Dublin city centre and will comprise a museum and exhibition space, a research centre and repository of records and a place for reflection and remembrance. The centre will also make a significant contribution to the long-term social and economic regeneration of Dublin's north-east inner city by encompassing social housing, local community facilities and an educational and early-learning facility.

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