In October 2020 Mary voted to pass the Mothers and Baby Homes Bill 2020 designed to prevent the destruction of the database and records from the Commission of Investigation into the Mother and Baby Homes.
Over five years the Commission of Investigations’ gathered records and documents of more than 70,000 women and baby’s, in 18 institutions over a dark period of 75 years.
When supporting the Governments legislation to protect the database and records Mary insisted that it was critically important that this entire archive of records is protected and preserved unredacted and none of the documents must be destroyed.
Mary asked the Minister to commit to the following:
- A complete, unredacted, version of the entire archive be retained in the Department of Children
- Guarantee personal data access to the archive to all living survivors
- Publish an anonymised index of the archive would be published
- Champion the establishment of dedicated archive of historical abuse records, memorial and centre for healing on the former Magdalene laundry site on Sean McDermott Street, D1.
Now, on December 1st Mary wants to know how survivors and/or their adopted children will gain access their own personal records?
How will witnesses receive transcripts of their own evidence that they gave to the Commission of Investigation?
How will information regarding babies who are buried in unmarked graves be made available?
If the Government will establish a dedicated archive at Sean McDermott Street to provide national education and truth-telling regarding historical’ institutional and adoption-based abuses?
Will the Minister update the house on Governments’ preparations to provide survivors and their children access their own personal records, reclaim their own identify, know who they are and begin to end the shame and the pain and bring the truth into the daylight?
Click here for Minister’s Response.