Legal delay to report for ‘Tuam babies’ site

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has confirmed that a report on using DNA testing to identify the remains buried at Tuam Mother and Baby Home is currently being considered by her Department – but the report would require legal advice from the Attorney General ahead of its findings being made public.

Minister Katherine Zappone commissioned Special Rapporteur on Child Protection Dr Geoffrey Shannon to investigate the possibility of compiling a DNA database to compare against DNA profiles which may be generated from juvenile human remains found at the site in an effort to make positive identifications.

The report was due to examine if this can be carried out within the current legislative framework.

“I have received Dr Shannon’s report and it is under consideration in my Department. A requirement has been identified for detailed legal advice and this has been sought from the Office of the Attorney General. That advice will determine the options open to Government,” she said.

Minister Zappone was responding to a question from TD for Galway East Anne Rabbitte (FF) who is now calling on the Government to immediately implement supports for the survivors of mother and baby Homes – ahead of the publication of the Commission of Investigation’s report which is not due until February 2020.

Deputy Rabbitte called on the Minister to consider “establishing a redress or compensation scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes”.

In her response, the Minister said that while she appreciated the calls to establish such a scheme were “genuinely made” on behalf of an aging community, such a scheme could not be implemented ahead of the Commission’s report.

“Given that these specific matters have not been central to any previous inquiry, it is not feasible at this interim stage in the Commission’s work to pre-empt its findings and recommendations. To date, the Commission has made no findings about abuse or neglect in any of the institutions within its terms of reference.

“I know that many former residents are eagerly awaiting the completion of this work. When the final reports of the Commission are available, the Government will be in a position to comprehensively respond to the full account of the Commission’s conclusions on all matters regarding the experiences of former residents,” said the Minister.

Deputy Rabbitte asked the Minister to divulge the status of the working group established on supporting survivors and in her response, Minister Zappone confirmed that the group, which is a collaboration between her Department and the Department of Health, had met three times.

“The working group has been tasked with reporting by September in order to facilitate considerations within the estimates process for Budget 2020,” she said.

In relation to commemorating those who were held in the mother and baby homes, Deputy Rabbitte queried if funding could be supplied to survivors for their commemorative events – and the status of a national memorial.

Minister Zappone said her Department had already commenced the detailed scoping work necessary to implement the proposed memorial measures, which had come about in response to the first report of the Collaborative Forum of Former Residents of Mother and Baby Homes.

“When Government approved publication of the Forum’s recommendations on 16th April, it also agreed to progress a number of initial related measures. Chief amongst these was a necessity for a comprehensive analysis of all the recommendations in the report, with individual Departments to conduct an assessment of the policy, resource and legislative, of recommendations relevant to their respective Departments.

“I expect to receive feedback from relevant Departments shortly. Once this initial analysis and assessment is complete, my Department will further co-ordinate the response in respect of a number of recommendations, particularly those relating to memorialisation,” said the Minister.