Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The focus in this report is on children who were unaccompanied by their mothers in mother and baby homes and county homes. As such, it is an issue that must be treated as sensitively as possible. As Senator Murnane O'Connor said, the people involved deserve respect and dignity.

The commission was originally set up to inquire into the conditions in mother and baby homes and county homes in the period between 1922 and 1998. Following a short first interim report last July, the commission submitted a second interim report in September 2016. This deals with a number of issues that had come to its attention during its work and analysis based on information collected up to August 2016. The commission is currently examining the experiences of women and children who lived in mother and baby homes over the period 1922 to 1998.

In its interim report, submitted last September, the commission suggests that the exclusion of children who were resident in mother and baby homes and in county homes without their mothers from the residential institutions redress scheme, which has since closed, should be re-examined, and I welcome this. It is satisfied that the institutions it is investigating are unquestionably the main such homes that existed during the 20th century, and it does not currently recommend that other institutions be investigated. It is not recommending any changes to its terms of reference at this time but may recommend doing so in the future. It does not make findings to date that abuse occurred in these institutions but notes that its work is not yet complete. It recognises that people whose births were falsely registered have a need to establish their identity but recognises that the false registration of births is a very difficult issue to investigate because of a lack of accurate records.

The Government has carefully examined the commission's recommendation regarding redress, and has concluded that it is not possible to implement it at this time. It is my understanding that the Government is conscious that the commission has made no findings to date regarding abuse or neglect, and believes it would not be appropriate to deal with the question of redress in advance of any conclusions on this issue by the commission. Moreover, it is my understanding that the redress scheme was complex to administer and often difficult for applicants. Senator Boyhan referred to this and I hope it will be rectified in the future.

It also has to be acknowledged that previous redress schemes have been extremely costly. As a society, we will need to make major decisions about what we spend our money on in the future. It may be that targeted supports would make more sense than redress schemes. It is my understanding that the Minister consulted in great detail with the Taoiseach, the Attorney General and other Ministers before this conclusion was reached.

It is also important to note that the Government waited for the special report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the residential institutions redress scheme before reaching a final conclusion on whether the original scheme should be re-opened to cover unaccompanied children who had been in mother and baby homes and county homes. The focus should now be on assisting those who were unaccompanied as children in mother and baby homes and county homes with a view to offering supports that will be of sincere and practical value to them.

I am encouraged that the Minister has committed to consulting former residents who were unaccompanied in these institutions regarding the nature and type of services and supports in the area of health and well-being that would be helpful to them at this stage. It is my hope that this consultation will be completed as soon as feasible, ideally before the summer break, which would enable appropriate supports to be in place as quickly as is possible. I am further encouraged that the Minister has enlisted the expertise of Dr. James Gallen of the school of law and government in Dublin City University to assist by mapping out a model of transitional justice as a means of giving voice to former residents of mother and baby homes and county homes.It is my understanding that the Minister will also carry out a scoping review, to which Senator Boyhan has made reference, of the commission's existing terms of reference to ascertain whether amending the terms of reference would enhance its existing work. Undisputedly, the commission's final report will be of fundamental importance to understanding the experiences of those who stayed in institutions of this kind. As such, it is imperative to allow it space to conclude its work and report its findings. In the meantime, I am very much encouraged that the Minister has committed to take whatever action she can to address the issues already raised. I commend her on her work and compassion to date on the issue.