Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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544. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the location of a burial ground for an institution (details supplied); and if there are records of those that died while resident in that institution. [41270/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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It is important to state that my Department does not hold any records from the institution known as St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home. A cohort of files from this former institution are held by TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency, and may be accessed by relevant parties through their Information and Tracing Services.

As the Deputy may be aware, St Patrick's Mother and Baby Home is one of the institutions currently being investigated by the ongoing Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters. As part of its terms of reference the Commission is directed to investigate and to make a report on burial arrangements in respect of persons who died while resident in these institutions. In the course of investigating these matters the Commission will identify the sources of information and records most relevant to these issues.

Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)
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545. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the transitional justice element of the investigation into mother and baby homes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41293/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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It is my wish to develop transitional justice measures to support and empower former residents of these institutions and their families and which could complement the work already significantly advanced by the Commission of Investigation. There is a strong public interest in Government taking whatever action is appropriate to address the issues which have already emerged without encroaching on the ongoing statutory investigation or pre-empting the outcome of that process.

Dr. James Gallen of the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University is assisting me in mapping out a potential model of ‘transitional justice’ as a means of giving voice to former residents of Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes. I believe that this is the best way forward in our response to what are hugely complex and sensitive matters and I am adopting key transitional justice principles to a number of measures.

In this regard the Deputy may be aware that I am currently in the process of holding facilitated meetings with former residents. A central focus of these meetings is to explore the nature of services and supports in the area of health and well being that former residents feel may be of genuine practical value to them now. The first facilitated meeting was held in Dublin on 30th June with over 100 persons in attendance. The next independently facilitated meeting will be held in Cork City on October 6th. Further details of this event can be found on my Departments website.

I believe that open and consistent communication with former residents and other stakeholders on the matters of concern to them is essential while the Commission continues with the work it was established to do. In recent months my Department has worked to further increase its focus on communication's with former residents by establishing an e-zine update which is posted on the Mother and Babies Homes section of my Department's website on the first Friday of every month. Three updates have been published to date with a fourth being prepared for this Friday. In this way everyone has access to the same information at the same time.

Also in early June I appointed an Expert Technical Group headed by Forensic Archaeologist Niamh Mc Cullagh to provide me with technical advice's in relation to the decisions which need to be taken on the future of the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam Co. Galway. The Expert Team provided an initial report in June which is available on my Departments website and will submit its final report to me shortly. A course of action can then be agreed to build towards a consensus on the next steps to be taken.