Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Over the last number of weeks, the Houses have discussed the report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Matters at length. Pressure on time and speaking slots has made it impossible for me to contribute. However, I want to take a few minutes today to put my views on the matter on the record.

Unfortunately, the report of the commission was attacked by people who had not read it. They actually admitted that they had not read it. They claimed that it said there was no evidence of forced adoption. In fact, anyone who had actually read the report would know that the report made it clear that the mothers in most of those homes had absolutely no choice in reality. It made a distinction between what is legally termed forced adoption, and what might generally be understood by that term, nowadays, in other words, that people were coerced by circumstance, pressures - religious, moral, family, economic - and so on. I find the language of the report to be immensely careful.

The second point I wish to make is that it is an immensely valuable piece of work. Members of this House should pay tribute to it. People should read it - all 3,000 pages of it. I have not read all 3,000 pages, but I have read about 1,200 pages of it. It is an immensely valuable piece of work. I want to pay tribute to the commission for its work.

The last point I wish to make is that the terms of reference of the commission of investigation set up a confidential committee. People have misunderstood the purpose of that committee and have thought that it was to create a permanent archive of individual people's experiences. There is nothing to stop such a permanent archive being created now. Time did not permit it before, but I want to express my view that I am immensely grateful to the members of the commission of investigation for all of the hard work that they did.