Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
818. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which an individual who worked in a State institution (details supplied) who wishes to make a confidential disclosure should proceed given that the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes no longer exists; if there is an individual within her Department who deals with such issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33298/26]
View answerI am very conscious of the hurt felt by survivors and family members of people who died in Bessborough. One of the most tragic aspects of what happened is the uncertainty regarding the burial place of many children who were resident there.
The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes was established in 2015 to investigate and report on a range of issues associated with Mother and Baby institutions, including death and burial practices. The Commission which had specific powers made extensive efforts to try and establish where the children who died at Bessborough are buried.
The Commission carried out cartographic and landscape assessment of possible unrecorded burial arrangements at the site and conducted a site survey. The Commission also issued a national public appeal seeking information from individuals who may have information about the burial places of children who died in Bessborough. All information was followed up. Despite its extensive investigations, the Commission was unable to find any evidence of a location. It considered that the only way that it can be established if burials did take place in the grounds is by an excavation of the entire property, including the parts of the former 200 acre estate that have now been built on, which it did not consider feasible.
The Government’s response to the legacy of Mother and Baby Institutions is set out in the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions. On foot of the Action Plan, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage wrote to local authorities in relation to their role in preserving and protecting unrecorded burial sites. It may, therefore, be appropriate to bring the matter to the attention of Cork City Council.
In addition, following publication of the Commission’s final report, An Garda Síochána issued an appeal asking anyone with sufficient information about alleged crimes at the institutions under investigation, to make contact with them so that such crimes could be investigated.
