Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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338. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he proposes to take to prevent the destruction, export, disposal, or concealment of records, documents and papers of industrial schools or Magdalene laundries that operated within the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26823/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In March 2022, Government approved high-level proposals for a National Centre for Research and Remembrance, to be located on the site of the former Magdalen Laundry on Sean McDermott Street in Dublin 1.This Centre will stand as a site of conscience to honour equally all those who spent time in Industrial Schools, Magdalen Laundries, Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, Reformatories, and related institutions.The National Centre will stand as part of our national institutions. In addition to a museum and exhibition space, and a garden space for reflection and remembrance, it will include a research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century, which will form part of the National Archives (NAI).Most of the records to be contained in the National Centre will transfer to NAI from a government department or State body who created, received or held the records in the course of their own business functions. A process has commenced preparing these records across departments for transfer to the National Centre for Research and Remembrance under the provisions of the National Archives Act 1986. Other organisations and institutions have also been identified such as private/religious institutions and/or individuals that may hold relevant records not subject to the National Archives Act. The National Archives is engaging with these institutions and bodies to address how such records could be appropriately made available over time, and accessible for research purposes in the context of the new archive given the complementarity of such holdings.