Written answers

Tuesday, 28 July 2020

Department of Justice and Equality

Magdalen Laundries

Photo of Gary GannonGary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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769. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if there is a clear timeline for the memorialisation and education process to ensure the atrocities of the Magdalen laundries are remembered; if a timeline has not been put in place, the steps she is taking to develop same; if the Justice for Magdalenes research 2020 report at the Dublin Honours Magdalenes event will be utilised as a tool for the timeline, given that survivors provided clear testimony on the way in which they would like to be memorialised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18291/20]

Photo of Gary GannonGary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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770. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her Department will be working with Dublin City Council to ensure the former Magdalen laundry on the Sean McDermott Street site will remain in ownership of the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18292/20]

Photo of Gary GannonGary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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771. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if the former Magdalen laundry site located on Sean McDermott Street will be developed as a memorialisation site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18293/20]

Photo of Gary GannonGary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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772. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to release archived material regarding the records of laundries of religious institutions to the public, anonymising records where appropriate, in the interest of justice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18294/20]

Photo of Helen McEnteeHelen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 769 to 772, inclusive, together.

I can assure the Deputy that I am committed to implementing the only remaining recommendation of the Magdalen Commission Report (The Quirke Report) which is the establishment of a suitable memorial.

My Department provided substantial funding to the Justice for Magdalenes Research Group (JFMR), the organisers of the Magdalen Event, which was held in June, 2018. The purpose of the event was to bring the women together and to ask their view on a suitable memorial. Their report was only recently provided to my Department. It must be understood that there were different views among the women as to the type of memorial that ought to be established. At this time, two possible locations for a memorial have been identified at the sites of former Magdalen Laundries, Sean McDermott Street, Dublin and High Park, Dublin.

My officials have been in contact with Dublin City Council in relation to the development of a memorial at the Sean McDermott Street site and I am informed that the site is currently the subject of a planning application for redevelopment which will include a Magdalen memorial space.

Separately, the Respond Housing Agency have been granted development consent for a housing development at the site of the former Magdalen Laundry in High Park, Dublin. The Respond Housing Agency have committed to making a garden space available as a memorial and wrote to my Department last week indicating that they are ready to advance the development of a memorial. My Department is committed to providing certain funding for each of these memorials and will continue to work with other relevant agencies to progress matters.

Chapter 6 of the McAleese Report sets out the approach in relation to the archive. The McAleese Committee agreed that the archive be deposited and stored centrally with the Department of the Taoiseach, noting the approach taken in relation to archiving set out in the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004.

The Committee decided that the archive contains only copies of state records, in order to avoid disturbance to or destruction of original or archived files. The originals of all such records identified, many of which were already archived, and some of which are covered by the National Archives Act 1986, remain in their original files and locations. While the McAleese Report acknowledges that the archive may be a resource for future research, there are no immediate plans at this stage to provide access to the McAleese archive. However, this position is being kept under review.

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