Written answers

Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Photo of Thomas PringleThomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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977. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the sixth interim report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes will be made available to Deputies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33691/20]

Photo of Patricia RyanPatricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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985. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will publish the sixth interim report of the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33836/20]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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987. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason he has failed to publish to sixth interim report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes; when it will be published, in view of the public comments of his predecessor; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33859/20]

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 977, 985 and 987 together.

The Sixth Interim Report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was submitted to the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in January 2020.

In the report, the Commission sought an extension to the timeframe for completing its work. This request was brought before Government at the relevant time and an extension was approved until June 2020. A request for a further extension was subsequently approved by Government to 30 October 2020.

Although it was a very short report, the Sixth Interim Report nonetheless raised complex legal and practical issues related to the completion of the Commission’s programme of work. In it, the Commission stated that it is obliged to redact sensitive personal information before depositing its records with the Minister. This includes redacting an important and unique database which it has created in the course of its investigation and which would be highly valuable in the provision of statutory adoption information and tracing services.

These issues have required intensive engagement with the both the Commission and the Office of the Attorney General. These were the issues which the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related matters) Records, and another Matter, Act 2020 was enacted to resolve.

The report itself does not include findings by the Commission on the substantive matters which it was examining.

I will seek Government approval for the publication the Sixth Interim Report in tandem with the Final Report of the Commission of Investigation, to ensure its contents are available for everyone to examine.

Photo of Thomas PringleThomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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978. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the seventh and final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes will be made available to Deputies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33692/20]

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In clarification for the Deputy, the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters submitted a Seventh Interim Report to the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on 3rd June 2020. This report was subsequently published on 12th June and is available on my Department's website.

The Government has agreed that the Final Report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, which was submitted to me on Friday October 30th, should be published as soon as possible .

However, there are a number of procedural matters to be considered before I will be in a position to bring the final report to Government seeking approval for its publication. These require me to refer the report to the Attorney General prior to publication. I did this immediately on receipt of the report last Friday and, to expedite publication, the Attorney General has ensured that additional resources are in place to review a very lengthy Report.

Once these procedures are completed, I will seek Government approval to publish the Report and share it with Deputies.

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