Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Tom Neville (Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the mother and baby homes redress scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone TD: There is no redress scheme in place in relation to the matters currently being examined within the scope of the statutory Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.

As the Deputy will be aware the Commission has made no findings to date in relation to abuse or neglect in these institutions.

The Commission’s final reports are due in February 2019, at which time its conclusions on all matters regarding the treatment and welfare of former residents will be studied very carefully in determining the appropriate State response.

The Commission’s second Interim Report included a recommendation that the exclusion of certain institutions from the Residential Institutions Redress Act should be re-examined by Government. The Government did consider this matter very carefully last year and decided not to re-open the scheme, or to extend it to any other institutions. The Government decided it would not be appropriate to pre-empt the final reports of the Commission on relevant matters.