Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise a harrowing story that was highlighted in the Mail on Sundayat the weekend but got overlooked due to the election frenzy. It relates to a mass grave in Tuam, County Galway, where the remains of approximately 800 children - citizens of Ireland - were buried. The area is well know by locals. Many of the children were born outside wedlock. They were thrown lifeless into a pit with a sack to cover them. The children were buried without a coffin in a disused water or septic tank on grounds of the former Bon Secours home for unmarried mothers in Tuam, an institution which operated until 1961. The children were often no more than babies.
The cause of death, where it can be ascertained, was listed as being due to malnutrition, convulsions and pneumonia. The mortality rate is estimated to be akin to that of the 17th century. The site has no memorial and it has been reported that there is a Garda investigation into missing death certificates. The grave is now surrounded by a housing estate and is nothing more than a bare patch of ground, which was lovingly attended to by a local man, who recently passed away, and his wife. The local community in Tuam is endeavouring to raise funds for the erection of a monument. I ask the Leader to raise the matter with the relevant Minister in order that at the very least, the State might provide an acknowledgement of the existence of those citizens, the 800 babies.
Could the Leader indicate whether he has had a response from the Minister for Justice and Equality on the matter of the Director of Public Prosecutions pre-empting a future decision of the Supreme Court or an Act of the Oireachtas in issuing a directive to the Garda Síochána instructing it to allow a suspect to have his or her solicitor present during Garda questioning?