Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The scale of the undertaking by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes is truly staggering but the work is absolutely necessary. We simply must get to the truth by investigating the concerns relating to what appears to be deficiency of care of unmarried mothers and their babies in some of these homes from 1922 to 1998. Over this 76 year period, it is believed that at least 35,000 unmarried mothers spent time in homes run by religious orders in Ireland. At part of its remit, the commission is investigating 14 mother and baby homes and four so-called county homes that operated throughout the State at different times between 1922 and 1998. The terms of reference of the commission are broad and examine a range of things, including living conditions, infant mortality, burial arrangements, illegal adoptions and women's pathways in and out of these institutions.

Many issues relating to these homes are disturbing, none more than the issue of infant mortality. It is known that almost 800 infants died at Tuam in Galway and that a site in Castlepollard in County Westmeath is believed to hold the remains of up to 3,200 babies.

The concerns about these mother and baby homes initially came to the attention of the public following reports of possible mass graves in the grounds of the former mother and baby home in Tuam. To our horror, the commission of investigation confirmed earlier this year that significant quantities of human remains were discovered buried on the site of a former home run by the Sisters of Bon Secours in Tuam. The children were aged from 35 foetal weeks to between two and three years of age.

Despite the revulsion we all feel, we must continue the search for answers for all those affected. In that regard I welcome the news today of the Government commitment to seek expert technical advice in respect of the possible identification of the remains of these children.

I look at my own six-month old daughter, Francesca, and I shudder at all these terrible revelations. I find all of this depressing and distressing. Equally, I am encouraged by the good work of the commission tasked with providing answers to what was a dark episode.

I take this opportunity to commend Catherine Corless who exposed the mass baby grave in Tuam. Without her perseverance we may not have had this commission at all.

The second interim report of the commission was published last week. The commission noted the exclusion of children who were resident in mother and baby homes without their mothers from the residential institutions redress scheme established in 2002 and has suggested that scheme should be re-examined. This is part of a number of key items in the interim report. I understand the Minister will consult all those affected with the intention of bringing proposals to Government before the summer break.

We know the commission has much work to do to establish how some of these homes failed young mothers and their children. Whatever happened in some of these homes, the commission of investigation is shining a light into some of the darker corners of institutional care. We must never forget what the mothers and children who are deceased and the survivors went through. In this regard the commission's work will at least pay respect to those who suffered in so-called places of care.

Nelson Mandela once said that there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children. I wish the commission of investigation the best in its work. Whatever its final conclusions, the commission is already doing good work in exposing a dark aspect of Ireland that must never be repeated.

I spoke in the debate on the Ryan report in the Dáil many years ago. We grew up in our lives blaming everyone else but ourselves. We have no one to blame but ourselves in this society. I am referring not just to politicians, those in education, the Catholic Church, doctors and so on. We cannot blame the Germans or the British for this. We have ourselves to blame. We need to ensure we shine a light in the darker corners of a disturbing past. I wish the Minister all the best in her endeavours.