Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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90. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the plans in place to ensure that artefacts and paperwork contained in the former Magdalen laundry building at Donnybrook, Dublin 4, are gathered and preserved. [9066/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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An Inter-Departmental Committee was set up in 2011 to establish the facts of the State's involvement with the Magdalen Laundries. It was chaired by then Senator Martin McAleese and it is commonly referred to as the McAleese report. The material in the Report relates to 10 different institutions which were run by 4 different Orders of nuns over a period of 70 years.

Chapter 3 of the McAleese Report gives the history of the Donnybrook Magdalene Laundry. The sisters of Charity took over the Donnybrook Laundry in 1833. It was re-located to Donnybrook Castle in 1837 and was re-named St. Mary Magdalen's Asylum. The former Magdalen Laundry building at Donnybrook is not and never was in State ownership. The State therefore does not have access to its artefacts or paperwork. In 1992 the premises was sold to a private company which operated a commercial laundry there until 2006.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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91. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the plans for the Magdalen laundry at Sean McDermott Street, Dublin 1; if there are plans to sell it; and if so, the reason. [9067/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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An Inter-Departmental Committee was set up in 2011 to establish the facts of the State's involvement with the Magdalen Laundries. It was chaired by then Senator Martin McAleese and it is commonly referred to as the McAleese report. The material in the Report relates to 10 different institutions which were run by 4 different Orders of nuns over a period of 70 years.

Chapter 3 of the McAleese Report gives the history of the of the Magdalene Laundry on Sean McDermott street which became the responsibility of, and was operated by, the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. The Laundry closed in 1996. At no time was the laundry, or the land on which it was sited, the responsibility of my Department or, indeed, of any Government Department. I understand that in recent years the site was handed over to Dublin City Council by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity.