Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the date the independent chair of the Magdalene Laundries inter-Departmental Committee will be appointed; will the terms of reference of the Committees' investigation include access to relevant Government Departments records including his Deparment who approved on a Statutory basis the use of St. Mary Magdalene's Asylum, Lower Sean McDermott Street, Dublin 1 as a remand institution. [17766/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy can be assured that I am considering the appointment of an appropriate independent person to chair the inter-departmental Committee and hope to make an announcement next week. As I said in the House last week, this will be a person of stature whose independence will not be open to question.

All relevant Departments which retain information that gives an insight into the level of State involvement or contact with the Laundries will be represented on the committee. Its terms of reference will include the making of such records available as far as possible while respecting the rights of the individuals to privacy. The committee will be required to produce an interim report on progress made within three months of its establishment.

I might also add that my own Department has previously offered, and will continue to offer, every assistance possible to allow access to the available records in the normal way.