Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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184. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the manner by which persons who gave testimony to the confidential committee of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes were notified that the recordings of their testimony would be destroyed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7513/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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185. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the enquiries he has made about the possibility of the retrieval and-or recovery of audio recordings of testimony given by persons to the confidential committee of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes destroyed by the commission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7514/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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186. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to amend section 7 of the commission of investigation records Act 2020 to extend the term of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes in order to resolve the issues arising from the destruction of the audio recordings of testimony given by persons to the confidential committee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7515/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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187. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the report of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes has been delivered to persons in cardboard boxes, unbound, loose-leaf, being almost 3,000 loose pages; the instructions given to the external company engaged to deliver the reports in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7516/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy for informing me of this matter, which my Department will investigate with the printing company and distributor. In the meantime, my Department would be happy to arrange for the report to be collected and another supplied if the individual concerned wishes to contact my Department.

The contractual agreement in place with the printing company is for the 3000 page report to printed in 6 volumes. Each of the volumes is individually thread bound for additional robustness and the set of 6 is appropriately boxed for distribution.

My Department has engaged the services of a separate distribution company to deliver the boxed report directly to individual households. I am advised that hundreds of the reports have been successfully delivered.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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188. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if 30 copies of the report of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes will be provided to this Deputy to distribute to persons personally affected by same, many of whom do not wish to provide their names and-or addresses to an external company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7517/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I understand the Deputy’s wish to assist in her role as a public representative.

In line with the public notice issued in this regard, my officials are arranging the issuing of hard copies of the Commission's report to survivors that have requested these directly from my Department. There is a large demand for these copies and we are working to meet this demand. My Department has limited stocks of the full report, and the separate abridged version, and I have asked my officials to arrange for copies of the report to be forwarded to the Deputy as requested.

My Department secured the services of a distribution company specifically to deliver the report to households. I want to assure the Deputy, and any persons concerned as to the confidentiality of their person data, that we have put in place a robust contract of confidentiality with the distribution company in compliance with GDPR. The names and addresses being shared will be appropriately processed by the provider, used only for the purpose provided and not retained after delivery of the report.

This distribution channel was developed taking account of the size of the full report (comprising six volumes of almost 3,000 pages and weighing 8.5kg) and as a consequence of the public health restrictions currently in place.

My Department has understandably received a large number of requests from individuals within the Deputy's constituency area so it is important to avoid duplication of requests in so far as possible.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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189. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of persons to whom a draft report or relevant part of the draft report of the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes was sent pursuant to section 34 of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7518/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As the Deputy will be aware, a statutory Commission of Investigation is independent of Government in the conduct of its investigations. This independence, which is provided for in law, is a fundamental principle in the establishment of an inquiry under the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004. As the specified Minister for receiving its reports, I had no role or influence in how the Commission conducted its work.

I am therefore not in a position to provide any clarity on the number of persons to whom a draft report or relevant part of the draft report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was sent pursuant to section 34 of the Commissions of Investigation Act 2004.