Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1426. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the proposed scope of the mother and baby home investigation; the other sites that will be investigated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19269/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The remit of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Home's and certain related Matters is set out in the order which established the Commission and its terms of reference S.I. No. 57 of 2015. The Commission is tasked with thoroughly examining the experiences of mothers and children resident in these homes. The scope of the Commission’s investigation includes several specific areas of practice and procedure in the care, welfare, entry arrangements and exit pathways for the women and children who were residents of 14 named institutions and the representative sample of County Homes identified by the Commission. With regard to the investigation of burial grounds associated with these homes, this is a matter for the Commission to decide and progress in accordance with its terms of reference.

The Commission’s Second Interim Report noted that its existing terms of reference are very wide and it did not recommend any changes. However, as the Deputy will be aware it is my intention to carry out a scoping review of the Commission's terms of reference to examine whether broader terms of reference could help answer related questions and public concerns. I am not in a position to pre-empt the outcome of this process but I will make further announcements in the coming weeks.