Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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547. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the inquiry into illegal birth registrations as recommended by a report (details supplied) by the special rapporteur on child protection into illegal adoption practices in the State; the membership of the inquiry; if, as recommended, it will adopt the truth commission model and be informed by principles of transitional justice; the scope and working methods of the inquiry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24378/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In March 2021, following publication of the Independent Review into Illegal Birth Registration, I asked Professor Conor O’Mahony, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, to consider the significant complexities and challenges which arise in relation to the issue of illegal birth registrations, and to provide a report proposing an appropriate course of action. On 14th March 2022 I published the report which sets out 17 numbered recommendations.

Recommendation 17 of the report by the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection was that a State inquiry into illegal adoptions (broadly defined) should be established on a non-statutory basis.

The question of creating an effective non-statutory inquiry is a sensitive, complex and challenging one. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges this and, in particular, notes the challenges associated with access to records for a non-statutory inquiry.

The Government remains committed to delivering on the comprehensive suite of actions set out in the Government Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. These actions respond to the priority needs and wishes of survivors, their families and advocates, and many of the actions achieve the objectives of a Truth Commission as proposed by the Special Rapporteur. In March of this year, Government approved high-level proposals for a National Centre for Research and Remembrance. The National Centre will stand as a site of conscience and will be designed to be an enduring and educational memorial to honour all those who were resident in Industrial Schools, Mother and Baby Homes, Magdalen Laundries and related institutions. The National Centre will be located on the site of the former Magdalen Laundry in Sean MacDermott Street in Dublin city centre and will have an inclusive, national and global reach.

The Centre will comprise a number of distinct, yet interrelated, areas, including a museum and exhibition space, the development of which will be led by the National Museum of Ireland; and a place for reflection and remembrance. In addition, it will contain a research centre and central repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century, which will form part of the National Archives. It is anticipated that the central repository will sit at the heart of the Centre and will ultimately be underpinned by legislation. One unique aspect of the central repository will be the intended inclusion of the personal testimonies of survivors; allowing the lived experiences of survivors to be formally accepted as part of the official record. Inclusion of the personal testimonies of survivors will ensure that the lived experiences of survivors will be captured in their own words, for publication and archiving for posterity in the National Centre.

The Government Action Plan also contains important measures which are focused on access to records.

In setting out this comprehensive suite of commitments, the Government recognises the potential for a future centralised archive of institutional records and personal testimony to support further analysis and research on these important matters.

As a consequence of all of this ongoing work, the Government will need to give further consideration to the specific recommendation on the Truth Commission. In the coming months, my priority will be to implement the Action Plan and deliver the Birth Information and Tracing Bill, which will provide full, unredacted access to birth and early life information for people affected by illegal birth registration, adopted people, and anyone with questions as to their origins.