Minister O’Gorman publishes first Annual Report on progress under the government’s Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions

The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman has today (21 February) published the first Annual Report on the implementation of the government’s Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions.

The multi-annual Action Plan provides a strategic framework to drive implementation of the 22 measures agreed by Government to respond to the priority needs of survivors and former residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions.

This is the first Annual Report under the Action Plan, and covers the period from the Action Plan’s publication in November 2021 to date. In that time, there have been significant achievements in a number of areas covered by the Action Plan, with further progress and ongoing work across all thematic areas.

Speaking about the Annual Report, Minister O’Gorman said:

He continued:

Notable achievements since the publication of the Action Plan include:

• landmark information and tracing legislation – the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 - was published, enacted and is now fully operational. This legislation provides guaranteed access to birth and early life information for all those who have questions in relation to their origins. It also establishes a statutory tracing service and contact preference register, through which people are able to make contact with relatives and seek further information. To date, 3,050 people have registered a preference on the Contact Preference Register, while 2,086 requests for information under the legislation have been completed and 211 connections have been made
• legislation was published, enacted and commenced to support intervention at the site of the former Mother and Baby Institution in Tuam and at any site where intervention is required to address manifestly inappropriate burials. The Institutional Burials Act 2022 provides a lawful basis for the excavation, exhumation and identification of remains, and their dignified reburial. Government has made an Order under the Act to establish an independent Office to lead the intervention. The recruitment campaign for a Director to head up the Independent Office is currently underway, with a view to work at the site commencing as early as possible in 2023
• intensive work is ongoing on the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme. During 2022, the General Scheme and Heads of Bill to provide for the Scheme were published and completed pre-legislative scrutiny, the Bill was then published and is currently advancing through the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Payment Scheme will open as soon as possible once the legislation is passed and enacted, and the administrative framework for the operation of the Scheme is in place
• the government approved high-level proposals for a National Centre for Research and Remembrance, which will stand as a national site of conscience to honour equally all those who were resident in Industrial Schools, Magdalen Laundries, Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, Reformatories, and related institutions. A Steering Group is driving work on the planning and detailed development of the Centre and, under the auspices of this Group, the OPW has begun the first phase of works to make the remaining buildings at the site safe to access and to facilitate future works
• Government also approved proposals to appoint a Special Advocate for Survivors who will facilitate engagement and consultation with survivors both in Ireland and abroad. The Special Advocate will be operationally independent of the department, and will be supported by an Advisory Council of survivors and a dedicated secretariat. This will ensure the Advocate’s work is informed by the lived experience and needs of those most centrally affected. Work is currently ongoing to advance the recruitment of the Special Advocate and put in place the necessary administrative arrangements

Further information on the above, as well as updates on all of the actions contained in the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions, is available in the full report.

Government published the Action Plan for Survivors and Former Residents of Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions on 16 November 2021.

The aim of the Action Plan is to support the implementation of the 22 commitments made by Government in January 2021 to respond to the priority needs and concerns of those who spent time in Mother and Baby and County Home Institutions.

Implementation of the Action Plan is overseen and monitored by the Minister and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY). As set out in the Action Plan, DCEDIY will prepare a report annually on its implementation. There will be a formal review of the Action Plan after three years, which will be linked to the reporting cycle in the fourth year.

Given the importance of providing regular updates to survivors and former residents, this annual reporting is supplemented on an ongoing basis with regular updates to a dedicated mailing list. This includes detailed quarterly updates, as well as ad hoc updates to outline progress and developments in particular areas. Anyone who wishes to sign up in order to receive future updates can email motherandbabyhomes@equality.gov.ie and request to be added to the mailing list. The quarterly updates are also published on the DCEDIY website.