Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

373. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason there are no survivors of institutional abuse representatives on the decision-making bodies, including legal and archival committees associated with the Centre for Research and Remembrance. [33430/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The National Centre for Research and Remembrance, to be located in Sean MacDermott Street, Dublin 1, will comprise a museum and exhibition space, a research centre and repository of records related to institutional trauma in the 20th century, and a garden space for reflection and remembrance. This Centre will 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 campus will also make a valuable contribution to the social and economic development of Dublin’s North East Inner City, through the provision of social housing units, further and higher educational facilities, and facilities for family and parenting supports.

A Steering Group, chaired by Mr Martin Fraser, former Secretary General to the Government and Ambassador to Great Britain, was established in April 2022 and is driving the overall coordinated development of the National Centre campus.

This Steering Group recognises the fundamental importance of survivors being partners in the project who are at the heart of decision-making and involved at every level of implementation. Following an initial, written consultation, which ran from July-September 2023, the top-level governance structure for the project- the overall Steering Group- was expanded to include the Special Advocate for Survivors. a

In addition, a series of in-person engagement events took place in Dublin, Galway, Cork and London between October 2024 and February , as well as an online event, so that so that survivors and affected persons, and their family members and advocates, could hear about and feedback on the National Centre. Attendees at these events heard about high-level plans for the buildings on the site as well as work to date by the National Archives and National Museum on the development of the archival repository and museum spaces. Attendees had an opportunity to participate in discussions about what they would like to see contained in the National Centre and valuable feedback was gathered.

This feedback will help to inform the ongoing work on the National Centre and future survivor involvement and engagement in the project as it moves forward. A report on the consultation will be published shortly, with renewed and new commitments on survivor involvement at the heart of this initiative, as the project enters the construction phase. I hope to bring proposals in this regard to Government very shortly.

In this regard, it is important to note that detail on what will be contained in the main National Centre buildings is not yet decided and ongoing engagement will ensure that the National Centre is informed by those most central to the project.