IRELAND
Galway Advertiser
By Martina Nee Galway Advertiser, Thu, Jul 17, 2014
The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr James Reilly, has announced the appointment of Judge Yvonne Murphy as chair of the Commission of Investigation into mother and baby homes.
Making the announcement yesterday afternoon, Minister Reilly said: “I am delighted that a widely respected person of the calibre of Judge Yvonne Murphy has agreed to head up this investigation. Judge Murphy has a very strong track record in effectively establishing the truth in relation to important and sensitive matters. She is ideally suited to this challenging role. The Government may give consideration to the appointment of further members to the commission, but I believe Judge Murphy’s agreement to undertake the role of chair of the commission is a very positive development in the process to establish an effective and independent investigation.”
The announcement was made alongside the release of the report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Mother and Baby Homes. The report is the product of work undertaken by the group established in early June.
The report confirmed that the General Register’s Office has identified the deaths of 796 children at the Tuam mother and baby home while it was run by the Bon Secours Sisters from 1925 to 1961, averaging 22.2 deaths a year but ranging from one in 1958 to 53 in 1947. The number of births identified came to 1,101 during the 36 years that the Tuam home operated.
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