Commission on Mother and Baby Homes: Second Interim Report Published Today

Department of Children and Youth Affairs
April 11, 2017

https://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?Docid=4179&CatID=11&mn=&StartDate=1+January+2017

Health and well-being needs of Survivors and Former Residents to be acted on

Improved access to information for those who were in mother and baby homes

Expert appointed to help identify Transitional Justice approach

Katherine Zappone TD, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has today (11 April 2017) published the Second Interim Report of the Commission on Mother and Baby Homes.

The Minister thanked the Commission for its important work and said:

“I want to deal sensitively with the matters raised by the Commission to date. The focus in this report is on children who were unaccompanied by their mothers in Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes.

I want to see what supports and services can be offered to this specific group now in the area of health and well-being. The Commission will continue its work and deal with issues affecting all former residents in its final report, but for now I want to identify how we can be of assistance to those who were left unaccompanied in these institutions. I am going to consult with those affected, and then bring proposals to Government before the summer break.”

The Commission was set up to inquire into the conditions in Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes in the period 1922-1998. Following a short first interim report last July, it submitted a second interim report in September 2016. This deals with a number of issues that had come to its attention during its work and analysis based on information collected up to August 2016.

In its interim report published today, the Commission:

- suggests that the exclusion of children who were resident in Mother and Baby Homes and in County Homes without their mothers from the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme which was established in 2002 and has since closed, or a similar such scheme should be re-examined;

- is satisfied that the institutions it is investigating are ‘unquestionably’ the main such homes that existed during the 20th century, and does not currently recommend that other institutions be investigated;

- is not recommending any changes to its terms of reference at this time but may recommend further investigations when its current investigation is completed; and

- does not make findings to date that abuse occurred in these institutions, but notes that its work is not yet complete;

- recognises that people whose births were falsely registered have a need to establish their identity but recognises that the false registration of births is a very difficult issue to investigate because of a lack of accurate records.

The Government has carefully examined the Commission’s recommendation regarding redress, and has concluded that it is not possible to implement it. The Government is conscious that the Commission has made no findings to date regarding abuse or neglect, and believes it would not be appropriate to deal with the question of redress in advance of any conclusions on this issue by the Commission. In addition, the Redress Scheme was complex to administer and often difficult for applicants. Minister Zappone said:

“Over the past few months I have spoken to former residents and survivors of Mother and Baby Homes and I am very sensitive to their needs and concerns. I have consulted in great detail with the Taoiseach, the Attorney General and other Ministers before we reached this conclusion. Rightly, this took some time because I wanted to look at every possible option in conjunction with my Government colleagues.

The Government also waited for the Special Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme before reaching a final conclusion on whether the original scheme should be re-opened to cover unaccompanied children who had been in Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes. The challenges for Government in considering the recommendations of the Commission at this interim stage of its work are clear from the findings of this Report.

The Minister said that her focus now will be on assisting those who were unaccompanied as children in Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes, with a view to offering supports that will be of genuine and practical value to them. The Minister said:

“With this in mind, I will consult with former residents who were unaccompanied in these institutions regarding the nature and type of services and supports in the area of health and well-being that they consider would be helpful to them at this stage. I want to consult, listen and learn. I will conclude this consultation by the end of June, and bring proposals to Government before the summer break, so that we can have appropriate supports in place as quickly as possible.”

In responding to the increased demand for access to relevant information, the Minister confirmed that her Department is working with TUSLA to support the provision of information to assist former residents who may wish to establish when they resided in a Mother and Baby Home.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs has asked Dr James Gallen of the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, to assist by mapping out a model of ‘transitional justice’ as a means of giving voice to former residents of Mother and Baby Homes and County Homes. Dr Gallen’s expertise in transitional justice will help to develop an approach which can acknowledge the experiences of former residents and further enhance public awareness and understanding of this part of our history.

As previously promised, the Minister will also carry out a scoping review of the Commission’s existing terms of reference to see if amending the terms of reference would enhance the existing work and help to resolve related questions.

The Minister concluded:

“I believe that the Commission’s final report will be of key importance to understanding the lives and experiences of those who stayed in institutions of this kind. We must give the Commission space to conclude its work and to report its findings. In the meantime, I will take whatever action I can to address the issues already raised. I believe that this is the best way forward to deal with what was a hugely difficult and sad time in our history”.