John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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53. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on progress made towards the establishment of a national memorial and archive for survivors of institutional abuses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15313/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The establishment of a National Memorial and Records Centre is a core commitment in the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. The National Centre will stand as a National Memorial in honour of those who were resident in Mother and Baby Homes, County Homes, Industrial Schools, Magdalene Laundries and related institutions.

This project also provides a basis for several other interdependent initiatives. I believe that this project will make a significant contribution in our journey of recognising and learning from the failures of the past, acknowledging the hurt which continues to be felt by survivors, and seeking to rebuild a relationship of trust with those who were so profoundly wronged.

The Secretary General to the Government has been appointed to lead a cross-Government process to advance work on a National Memorial and Records Centre. Funding has been provided to support this work in 2022. The National Centre will be designed to include an archive of records relating to institutional trauma, alongside personal accounts of survivors' lived experiences, as well as presenting the historical and social context. This process, which will include engagement with survivors, will develop an overarching vision and proposed approach for the creation of the National Centre. Once this scoping work is complete, a proposal will be brought to Government for approval.

My Department has already appointed an Archivist and established a dedicated Information Management Unit to lead on the preservation of, and access to, records held by the Department, including the Commission’s archive.

Importantly, the Birth Information and Tracing Bill 2022, which is making its way through the Oireachtas, will provide an initial legal basis to safeguard all relevant records.

In addition to the National Centre, work is being advanced separately with the local authorities to deliver on the commitment to support local memorialisation initiatives across the country. Furthermore, financial support is available from my Department through the Commemorative Grant scheme to support survivor groups in commemorating their experiences in a manner which fits their own specific needs.

As we have learned from our consultations, memorialisation is very important to survivors although it can mean many different things to different people. In recognising this variety of perspectives, further consultation will be undertaken to ensure these developments are informed by those most centrally involved with these experiences.