Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I thank the Minister for coming into the House. This is an important issue to my constituents, his constituents and survivors all over the world.

When the Minister came into the House in October of this year, he brought forward legislation to prevent the destruction of the records and the database from the commission of investigation. My colleague and I supported that legislation because we thought it was critically important that the database and records that had been assembled by the commission of investigation in the course of five years' work, detailing the history over 75 years, 18 institutions and more than 70,000 individuals, mothers and babies, would be protected and an unredacted form would be kept.

I asked the Minister at the time to take action, and I appreciate that he did, to ensure that the database and the records would be protected and that a complete version of it would be kept in the Department. I also sought guarantees around access to the personal data for the survivors and their children, that there would be an anonymised index published and that the Minister would champion the establishment of an archive in Sean McDermott Street.

I asked for the Minister to come to the House today in order that he could update the House on how survivors and their children will get access to their personal records. How will witnesses who gave testimony to the commission get access to their transcripts? How will information on the unmarked graves of those babies be made available?

Finally, the Minister might update us, if he can, on the Government's position on establishing an archive on Sean McDermott Street. It would be informative. Most importantly, what I am looking for an update on the Government's work to protect the records and the databases and, most critically, to give the survivors and their families access to their personal information to reclaim their identities, to know who they are, to end this terrible pain and shame and to bring this really dark period in our history into the daylight.