Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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45. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the timeline and next steps for the excavation of human remains at the burial site at Tuam, County Galway, further to the appointment of the director of authorised intervention; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25917/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Last week I announced the appointment of Mr Daniel Mac Sweeney as Director of Authorised Intervention, Tuam. Mr Mac Sweeney will head up the independent Office that has been established under the Institutional Burials Act 2022 to oversee the important and highly sensitive work of ensuring the children’s remains at the site of the former Mother and Baby Institution in Tuam are recovered and re-interred in a respectful and appropriate way.

Mr Mac Sweeney brings extensive experience and expertise to the role, having been involved in humanitarian programmes across the world with the International Committee of the Red Cross. This work has included identification programmes involving the use of DNA. His skills and expertise will, therefore, be invaluable in leading the intervention in Tuam.

It is important that the newly appointed independent Director has time to properly assess the situation in Tuam and develop a plan before setting out timelines for the excavation. Appropriately qualified experts from a range of disciplines will need to be engaged to undertake the forensic excavation, recovery and post-recovery analysis processes. I understand that engineering works and the construction of onsite facilities will also be required in advance of excavation of the site.

Work is ongoing to establish the core staffing and administrative structures, which will support Mr Mac Sweeney in his work. A key priority for Mr Mac Sweeney in the first instance will be to engage with relatives, survivors and former residents of the Tuam institution in relation to the intervention there.

This has been a priority of mine since I became Minister. It has taken considerable time to bring us to this position, but I am pleased that we are now finally able to move forward.