Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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379. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the progression of the transitional justice for survivors of Mother and Baby Homes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18718/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am committed to working with my colleagues in Government, and in collaboration with former residents, to take appropriate actions to address the issues which have already emerged from the work of the Commission. I believe that this is the best way forward in our response to what are hugely complex and sensitive matters. The principles of transitional justice inform my approach to these measures.

In this regard the Deputy may be aware that I am currently in the process of establishing a Collaborative Forum for former residents. It is a progressive response to the theme of “nothing about us without us” which emerged from the facilitated consultations I held with former residents last year. A number of priority areas have been identified from our consultations to date. The Forum will incorporate three sub-committees that will examine a range of areas, including key transitional justice measures such as memorialisation and the capture of personal narratives. I have appointed an independent Selection Panel to select representative members from those persons who express an interest in participating in this process. An information campaign on how to apply to become a member of the Forum will commence in the coming days.

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 this regard, my Department has continued to post a an e-zine update on the Mother and Babies Homes section of my Department's website on the first Friday of every month. In this way we can ensure that everyone has access to the same information at the same time.

I also secured Government approval for an invitation to be extended to the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence to visit Ireland. I am pleased to confirm that this invitation has issued. The Special Rapporteur will have many demands on his time but I hope that he may be in a position to provide a favourable response to this invitation. A visit from the UN Special Rapporteur would provide a vital insight into the relationship between international human rights standards and the everyday lives of Ireland’s citizens.

In relation to the site of the former Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, following the publication of the Report of the Expert Technical Group, public consultations were held in March so that all interested parties could have an opportunity to voice their opinions on these sensitive matters. The facilitator's report is now available to inform the deliberations of the inter-departmental committee coordinating the State's response to this matter. The committee is meeting tomorrow with a view to making recommendations to me on these sensitive matters. I will then be in a position to bring proposals to Government for a decision on the future of the site.

My Department continues to post a monthly e-zine update on the Mother and Babies Homes section of my Department's website on the first Friday of every month. In this way everyone has access to the same information at the same time.