Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698136662940.pdf (Ireland)
Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes Minister O’Gorman’s Opening Statement to the Joint Oireachtas Committee Meeting of 16 February 2021 I thank the Committee for the invitation to attend today’s meeting to discuss the Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and related matters.

The Committee has provided a comprehensive list of topics to support today’s engagement.
I will endeavour to cover many of these matters in my opening statement and am happy to provide further detail and address any outstanding items as part of the follow-up discussion in the course of the meeting.

A month ago I published the Commission’s Report.

It was followed by an immediate State apology from An Taoiseach for the wrongs that we as a nation have visited on our most vulnerable citizens.
I know and understand that many survivors have been disappointed and angered by the report, finding its tone and language cold and overly legalistic.

I recognise that some of the conclusions, grounded in a legal approach and analysis of 1.3 million pages of evidence, can feel removed from the grief, the breach of human rights and the trauma of the lived experience of many former residents.
I recognise that and am committed to continued engagement with survivors on ways in which we can bear witness to their experience through future research and memorialisation.

To that end, I am also clear that the report does not represent a conclusion.

Rather, it represents the backdrop for the State’s apology to those who have suffered and also a starting point from which we can move forward.
It is imperative that we build, without delay, on the spirit in which the apology was made, to take action and make appropriate reparation.

The Government has accepted the report’s recommendations and has responded with a commitment to develop a Strategic Action Plan spanning 22 ambitious actions.

Initial work is already underway on the action plan and across many of the actions.
Information and Tracing Access to birth and early life information, including the birth certificate, is a fundamental issue and a top priority for me as Minister.

My officials are working intensively with the Office of the Attorney General to advance Information and Tracing legislation, with a view to having Heads of Bill by end March/ early April.

I look forward to engaging with the Committee on this crucial legislation.
Restorative Recognition Scheme I have established the Interdepartmental Group on Restorative Recognition (IDG).

The IDG held its first meeting on the 4 February and has been tasked with reporting back to me by the end of April.

It has been asked to develop detailed proposals for a restorative recognition scheme.

Its work must take account of the specific groups identified by the Commission but is not limited to those groups.
Its work will be underpinned by a human rights focus and informed by strong stakeholder consultation and an understanding of criticism that were made of previous schemes.

Health Supports Restorative Recognition encompasses more than just financial compensation.

One strand of the scheme will involve the provision of an enhanced medical card similar to that provided for former residents of Magdalene Laundries and the IDG proposals will also encompass this element.
In the immediate term, counselling services are available for all former residents through the National Counselling Service in the HSE.

This includes telephone and face-to-face counselling through an established nationwide network of counselling locations.

Additional resources have been made available to the National Counselling Service to support this commitment.

All former residents will have access to a Patient Advocacy Liaison Support service.
In addition, a targeted programme of health research will be undertaken to assist and inform the development of future service provision for former residents and preparatory work on this research study has begun.

Other Actions I am also working to advance the other actions committed to by Government.

For example, my Department has appointed an archivist to lead the work on the preservation of, and public access to, the relevant records within my department.
My officials have also initiated work with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and the Irish Research Council on the creation of a number of scholarships in memory of all the children who died in institutions.

In addition, through collaboration with the Irish Research Council, we are funding a research project in NUIG relating to Terminology, Representation and Mis-representation and this will shortly commence.
Survivor-centred approach The overarching theme for all of this work is a commitment to progressing it in a survivor-centred manner, characterised by continuous engagement with former residents and their representative groups, as well as the survivor diaspora.

This can only happen through a radically enhanced model of engagement, with the requisite scale to support the multiplicity of voices and perspectives in this space.
I am committed to establishing such a model, following consultation, and I have met with the Collaborative Forum twice in the last two weeks in this regard.

Confidential Committee Recordings Finally, I am conscious that one of the items referenced in the invitation for today’s meeting was the deletion of audio recordings relating to the Confidential Committee of the Commission and would note that I have written separately to the Committee on this matter.
Conclusion I look forward to further discussion today on these important actions which seek to respond to the needs and wishes of survivors, and to working with you in the weeks and months ahead as we strive to advance them.

Thank you.